


Christian's Promise

by Starsgirl9



Series: Jason / Donna / Diana WWE Fanfics [1]
Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Past Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-12-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:37:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 35
Words: 106,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24800152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starsgirl9/pseuds/Starsgirl9
Summary: This is the first of several fanfics I wrote with these characters. I'm currently writing a new one from the daughter's POV after having been away from this series for 20 years. I just decided to throw it up here to see if there would be any interest in an old fic. This fic is based in the Attitude-Era of the WWE.With her best friend's help, Donna Andrews heads to a WWE event while on vacation in Sunrise, Florida in late 1999 after having fled to Michigan to escape an abusive relationship in October, 1998. Marie and Donna have been assigned to do an expose article on the WWE by her mom's publication, a locally-based tabloid. Before the show, Donna runs into Jason Reso who becomes absolutely smitten with her, now several years removed from his own broken relationship. Their greatest obstacles come into play when Jay's former girlfriend Kate and her boyfriend Rick enter the picture at WWE's Armageddon Pay-per-view in 1999, and she brings secrets with her. Along the way, Donna isn't exactly secret-free. She's been trying to keep her past abusive relationship from encroaching on a relationship she has fantasized about having for a whole year as part of her mental escape from her abuse.
Relationships: Jason Reso / Donna Andrews (Original Character)
Series: Jason / Donna / Diana WWE Fanfics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1793746
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue / Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little background on this story before I begin:
> 
> I'm not into wrestling because I wanted to be. One of my close friends went to a live event a few years ago and decided he wanted me to watch the show for a sign he made for me. I didn't want to but I did it anyway. It was that very show that got me hooked on the WWF as it is now (I watched it when I was really little, a true Hulk Hogan fan to this day!). I also credit my best friend Kelly for being there to chat with about it. This story was originally dedicated to just Kelly, but I want to dedicate it to Mark, as well. Thanks for getting me hooked on something that's a lot of fun!!
> 
> .... since this original dedication was written, my best friend Kelly (who was the inspiration for my original character Marie) passed away on March 16, 2014. I miss her very much. We were best friends for 21 years and she was like the sister I never had. Thank you for being my wrestling viewing buddy for most of them. I love you, girl. XO

## PROLOGUE

### OCTOBER, 1998

My nerves were in a bind as I pretended to sleep on the couch. I was too scared to be awake, especially with Bradley getting ready to watch WWF, as he always did on Monday nights. I didn't want to make him angry by watching the program, so I opened my eyes just enough to see the TV and tried to move onto my side. I could feel the pain in my back from my encounter with him earlier and bit my lip slightly to keep from crying out in pain. Bradley hated crying, especially after an argument.  
"Donna?" He questioned angrily, his voice slurred from drinking. "Are you awake, you little bitch?"  
_No...please watch your show and go to sleep,_ I begged him silently. I wanted to cry so much from the pain that engulfed my body. His show started and things quickly got down to business. It didn't stop Bradley from throwing an empty bottle at me full force, though. It hit me on the knee and I struggled to stay quiet, although it hurt like hell.  
Brad got jealous if I watched WWF, for fear that I was looking at the guys in some certain way. His fear was confirmed when he found my writings earlier that day, and I was feeling the repercussions in my back now.  
A while into the show, he finally passed out and I watched the TV with my eyes wide open, tears streaming down my cheeks as I watched the stage light up with a square of fire. Up through the flames came the three blond-haired guys of the newly formed goth team, The Brood. One of them--the leader, Gangrel--was a vampire. His two blond sidekicks were Edge and Christian. Edge wore his wrestling pants, a black leather trench coat and a devilish grin on his face, while Christian wore a loose, long-sleeved, white shirt over wrestling pants. I had seen him wrestle alone the previous night on Heat, which not only sparked my story, but a really jealous rage in Brad, who took it out on me. I pulled my knees to my chest as I kept my wet, red eyes trained on Christian, taking in everything I could, because I might need it later and it would be the last time I'd see him or his gorgeous features for a week. He came off as a romantic, gentle soul to me. I was enjoying writing my new romantic story involving me and Christian. I wondered if he'd treat me like Brad did or if he'd treat me like he was from a movie or a fairy tale. I shook my head at the thought. Christian wouldn't want a useless slut like me. He'd hate me just like my father did, like Bradley did and like every other guy ever did. He was so quiet, though....such a beautiful, quiet spirit. I thought I could identify with him on some level. I sniffled, imagining his arms around me protectively, gentle kisses on my face and neck, his voice whispering softly in my ear, his cologne lingering in the air around us...  
"I told you that you're not allowed to watch, Donna!" Came Brad's voice, cutting into my thoughts.  
"I...I'm sorry, Brad." I stuttered. "It won't happen again!" He got up and I backed up, finally stumbling to my feet and running into the kitchen and hiding under the table. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I sobbed as he threw chairs aside and pulled me out from under the table by my hair. His hands hit me full force on my shoulders and face. "You're hurting me! I said I was sorry!" I wailed. He dragged me to the bedroom and shoved me through the half-open door and inside the room. I landed beside the bed, sobbing hysterically.  
"Stop that crying! STOP IT!" He screamed.  
"Please! No more!" I wailed, stumbling to my feet as he shut and locked the door. I hid in the closet and shielded my face with my hands.  
"Come here! You wanna look at other guys, you little tramp? DO YOU? Your writing sucks! He'd never want a lying, cheating slut like you!"  
"Leave me alone, Bradley!"  
"Excuse me?!" He hollered, grabbing a fistful of my hair. More pain travelled over my back as he kicked it, reinjuring what he had done earlier that day. I sobbed hysterically, trying to catch my breath as he proceeded to hit me anywhere his fists could land.  
"Stop...please stop..." I could barely utter the words in the midst of my sobs. It went on and on until he finally grew tired of hitting me and passed out on the bed. I, on the other hand, curled up on my knees and elbows underneath a pile of clothing in the back corner of my closet and sobbed myself to sleep.

*********** 

The surroundings glowed an eerie red. I was sitting in the WWF ring with my knees to my chest, sobbing.  
"Donna." Came the gentle, knowing voice from the shadows. Out of those shadows walked Christian.  
"Please don't hurt me..." I begged.  
"Please don't be frightened." He told me, making his way into the ring slowly, sliding beneath the ropes. "I won't hurt you." He removed his sunglasses slowly, revealing his sapphire-blue eyes. "I know that he hurts you...he hurts you very bad. I'm here for you, my sweet angel. I'm in your dreams anytime you need me. I'll protect you by giving you a place in your mind where you can come to me and be with me." He knelt in front of me slowly and I cowered from his touch. "Can I see your pretty face, my sweet angel?" I shook my head. He tilted his to the side, distraught. "Why not?"  
"He makes me ugly so that nobody'll ever want me..." I whimpered.  
"He could never do that."  
"He does, because I am. I'm a horrible, ugly person." He touched my forehead gently with his finger and reached around my knees and arms to lift my face out from behind its shield.  
"I am so sorry that he hurts you, Donna. You are so very pretty."  
"No I'm not." I sobbed. "I've never been anything to anybody."  
"You are pretty to me." He said sincerely. "Where else does he hurt you?"  
"Anywhere he can!" I wailed. He pulled me into his arms and held me there. For the first time in a while, my body wasn't in pain. His touch removed it from my body. entirely. I felt so safe in his arms. I never wanted to wake up again. "I want to stay here with you forever! I don't want to go back and face him, Christian! I'm so scared! I feel so safe here...don't let me go! Please hold me! Please!" I sobbed. He held me close to his chest and tightened his embrace.  
"I cannot keep you from waking up, nor can I prevent him from hurting you. I promise you that I will meet you someday in my true form and it will change your life. Until then, I will be here for you to come and be with me in your dreams. I have no way of fighting the real monster away, but I can protect you from the nightmares so we can be safe in your hideout. He doesn't know and you're free from him and his abuse whenever you're here with me."  
"Anytime I need you?"  
"Anytime you need me, I'm here. Just close your eyes and I'll come and get you."  
Feeling my eyes get heavy, I rested against him and fell asleep. 

********* 

"Wake up, Donna!" Bradley yelled, kicking me in the side. I whimpered, realizing that everything with Christian had been a dream. "What are you doing in the closet, whore? I said wake the hell up! Get up, bitch! On your feet! Wanna get punished?" I heard him unbuckle his belt quickly, and I couldn't move fast enough to dodge the blows to my already-injured back.  
"Bradley, please! Stop, please!" He was sober now and putting his full force behind it.  
"GET UP!" He screamed. I stumbled to my feet. He shoved me onto the bed and straddled my waist. My back screamed out in pain louder than my mouth was. It was killing me, blinding my vision and my rational thinking. "Lay there and don't move until I'm done!"  
"Please no!" I begged.  
"Shut up, slut! You wanna be a little tramp and watch those guys on TV? Let me show you how to be a real slut!"  
"Bradley....no! No! Please don't! NO!" I sobbed. 

********** 

After he got done, he packed his stuff and left for good. I was too terrified to move, but I had to eventually. I had to do something. I reached for the phone and dialed 9-1-1 before slipping out of consciousness.  
When I awoke, I was laying in the middle of the ring. I couldn't move at all, I was in so much pain. I sobbed with every move I tried to make. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Christian's shadow approaching me.  
"Please....help..." I whimpered.  
"It's okay, my sweet angel. Come here. I know what he did. I'm so sorry...." He told me, sliding into the ring beneath the ropes and kneeling over me. He stroked my hair and then my face gently. The pain faded as he pulled me into his arms. "Someday there will be retribution for this."  
"I called 9-1-1...can they help me?"  
"You'll be asleep for quite some time. I will help you to heal, and so will the sleep."  
"I just want to stay here with you. I love your touch, I love your words, I love your protection."  
"Ssh....relax for now, my angel. I'll be right here, but you need to sleep and work on healing now. I can't take all of the pain away." He told me, stroking my hair as I fell back to sleep. 

********** 

Not counting the hospital stay, I remained holed up in my apartment until the visible signs went away. The dreams soothed me and kept the nightmares away. They also inspired me to write a lot of stories about me and Christian. I eventually had to move in with my stepdad for a month or so after I lost my apartment while my mother struggled to recover from her own abusive relationship with Josh by moving up north to Michigan with her new boyfriend Ryan.  
Now free from Brad, I watched the WWF whenever I could, as well as becoming a tough girl goalie under supervision and instruction from my stepdad. I didn't forget about the WWF entirely as I got more and more into playing ice hockey with my friends, but it was on the back burner until I hunted down my younger brother Danny and we moved to Michigan to live with my mom and Ryan. Over the internet, my best friend Maria and another friend of mine got the WWF back onto the front burner for me. The dreams, fantasies and story ideas never left, however. Those stuck with me.  
As I watched, my love for the WWF grew and I continued to pen my stories. Nobody ever knew about my last twenty-four hours with Bradley, and I would make sure they never did.  
Instead, my mind was focused on one thing, and that was Christian's Promise: 

_'I promise you that I will meet you someday in my true form and it will change your life.'_

## Chapter One

### October, 1999

My best friend Maria has been into the WWF as long as I've known her -- now seven years. I hated the so-called sport until a year ago. Now it sits a close second to my first love of hockey. Until last fall, I just watched wrestling with semi-interested eyes. The fact that I had witnessed Owen Hart's last televised match back in May kind of killed the passion I had unwillingly built up for it. I only started watching it because I had a friend over the internet who told me he was going to have a sign for me in the audience one night. From that night on, I was hooked, but I never did see the sign he made for me.  
"I've got a surprise for you when you get here," Maria told me over the phone the night before my trip down to my old home in Florida to visit her, my family, and some other close friends of mine.  
"What is it?"  
"I've got tickets to the WWF event in Fort Lauderdale. It's a taping, not a house show, so we have to make a sign—my mom managed to get us floor seats right against the barricades. Imagine the Undertaker and the Hardys that close!" She squealed. I wrinkled my nose as I glanced up at the new Jericho poster I'd bought the day before.  
"That's you. Well, I take it back. Matt's okay, but Chris Jericho and Christian are the ones that will be holding my attention."  
"I thought you didn't like Jericho."  
"Well, I do a little bit."  
"You liar. Just like you like Christian and Edge 'a little bit'."  
"I liked them both a hell of a lot before the Bill and Ted syndrome set in."  
"And again you lie." She laughed. "You still think they're cute."  
"Dammit, shut up! So what?" I joked. "This coming from someone who likes one guy who can't settle on one hair color and another guy who has tattoos up one arm and down the other!" I was kidding. Both Jeff Hardy and the Undertaker were much liked by me. I just wanted to give her a hard time.  
"And looks mighty fine on a motorcycle, I might add, and I do recall you mentioning that you agreed with me on that." She pointed out. I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly.  
"So?"  
"So, you're as caught up in this nighttime drama as I am, but you're a little more afraid to admit it because you used to hate it with a passion."  
"I can't ever top you in liking it! No way!"  
"You're still caught up in it, no matter how hard you deny it."  
"Okay, that I'll admit."  
"Thank you. So when are you coming down again?" 


	2. Chapter Two

## Chapter 2

Maria expected me to be a miracle-worker with making a double-sided sign in one night. With a 12-pack of Pepsi and some snacks, I did make it through a good portion of the evening wide awake. I made one side an Undertaker sign: a motorcycle silhouette against a purple and black "American" flag, with his symbol in place of the stars. On the flip side was our Jericho sign, a lion breaking through a brick wall. The following day (I didn't get up until somewhere in the neighborhood of one o'clock), we drove to the National Car Rental Center. We arrived around six. Maria was dressed head to toe in Stone Cold gear. I, on the other hand, wore about half of my hair in a ponytail on top of my head, reminiscent of Y2J's former signature "Pebbles-like" hairstyle. That was one gimmick that I was glad to see get lost in the shuffle. Also part of my attire was the newly-released 'Ayatollah football jersey' over a teal tank top and a pair of denim shorts.  
In my hand was our completed double-sided sign.  
"Gotta love floor seats." Maria said as I put some money on the counter for a poster of Edge and Christian. "Oh yeah....you hate them with a passion."  
"I have a weakness for good looks, Maria. Cut me some slack."  
"Suuuure."  
"So....why are we here so early?"  
"Didn't I tell you? I have press passes so I can work in place of my mom on an article she's doing on the WWF for the GLOBE. She got special permission for us to do it."  
"No, you didn't say one word!! How could you have forgotten to tell me?"  
She flashed me an evil grin. "I told you I had a surprise for you." She replied, beginning to look around now.  
"If you had told me this before, dammit, I wouldn't have dressed like a groupie!" I cried, tugging at my ponytail and pulling the tie out of my hair, letting it fall around my face.  
"You're just showing your spirit. I doubt he'll care."  
"Huh?" I stopped her. "Do you want him to turn tail and run away from me? I can see it now: 'Maniacs! Security!’" I cried. "’Cause I sure would feel horrible if it did!" She stared back at me, her brown eyes serious.  
"He won't. Now come on!"  
We had to meet up with some guy named Barry. Once we finally found him, he led us downstairs.  
"Dad? Where is Mark? The guy's here who wants to see him about the motorcycle for tonight's show!"  
"To the best of my knowledge, he should be in trailer two, Stephanie." Stephanie no sooner heard that than she bolted out of a room a few feet ahead of us and ran past us.  
"Good evening!" She called over her shoulder as she passed us and rounded a corner.  
"Have a seat. Vince should be out shortly." Barry told us.  
So we sat, and boy, did I feel stupid.  
"Hello." Said a familiar male voice. In front of us stood Shane. "You must be Maria...nice to meet you. And you are...?" Shane questioned, his dark brown eyes settling on me.  
"Donna." I barely choked out, feeling my face turn bright red. He smiled a laidback smile as he shook my hand, then proceeded to sit down with us. Maria set up the mini tape recorder.  
"So what brings your mother to do an article on the WWF?"  
"She's so into entertainment and she figured that since the WWF is never spotlighted by the tabloid papers in a super-positive light, that she'd try and shed some of that much-needed light on it."  
"So she's having you guys do this article?"  
"She doesn't watch, and I'm a die-hard fan. My best friend here just got into watching last year." As Maria began interviewing Shane with some questions her mom gave her, and she added some of her own and really got Shane talking in depth about how he was raised around the WWF. A while later, he motioned for us to follow him, so we did.  
He took us to various rooms on the floor that were set up as locker rooms and green rooms. I somehow got sidetracked with my own mini-investigation. So sidetracked, in fact, that Maria and Shane left the room without me. I had my press pass on me in case someone else found me before I found Shane and Maria. I stood in the locker room, looking over the wardrobes, filled with curiosity.  
Rock, Test, Albert, Kurt....then my eyes settled upon Edge's stuff. I suddenly felt a presence behind me that hadn't been there moments before. I turned around and the sudden sight of Adam Copeland just about caused me to pass out on the floor from shock.  
"Stray fan?" He joked, arching an eyebrow.  
"Lost reporter." I gulped, searching frantically for the pass. I glanced up at his grinning face as he watched me search for the card.  
"Don't worry about it. I believe you. I didn't mean to startle you, though. I was just about to say something when you turned around and jumped half a mile into the air." He told me honestly as he helped me to sit down, then sat down beside me. I bit my lip to keep my jaw from falling on the floor. "What's that?" He asked, nodding toward the poster in my hands.  
"A poster of you and Christian." I confessed.  
"You're still a fan?" He laughed. "Amazing. You’re probably the only fan we have on the entire planet. Would you like me to sign it for you?" He offered. I looked up at him, surprised. My heart was still lodged in my throat from him scaring the living daylights out of me, so I nodded instead. As he signed it, in walked The Rock and Mick Foley.  
"Whoa..." I mumbled, causing them to look over at us.  
"Hey Adam. Who's your friend?"  
"A lost reporter." He joked lightly. I finally found my copy of the pass and flashed it to them.  
"Actually," I said, starting to get my voice and regular heart rate back, "my name's Donna. I got a little lost when I was following my best friend and Shane. I kind of got caught up in looking around."  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mick and this is Dwayne."  
"Nice to meet you both."  
"Your friend...does she have kind of long, black hair?" Dwayne asked.  
"They were actually wondering where you were. We saw them a couple of minutes ago."  
"That would be her."  
"Mick, you seem to be liking your commissioner job. I knew you wouldn't stay away from the WWF for long."  
"I enjoy being in the ring and the atmosphere too much to stay away entirely." He replied. "It's a great role, and I feel privileged to be a part of the WWF."  
"That's great, because I love watching you." I told him as Adam handed my poster back to me. "And Rock, are you going to keep the title for awhile? I'm kind of tired of Triple H monopolizing it."  
"I think I get to lose it to someone new really soon." He replied, motioning to my jersey. "He'll be an interesting champion when he does get his hands on it."  
"To say the least." Adam chimed in. It was well-known that Edge and Christian were great friends with Chris Irvine, Jericho's real-life counterpart, off-screen.  
"How soon are you talking?" I questioned, suddenly interested.  
"Vince and everyone else think he deserves it soon. Sooner than you expect."  
"Like tonight?"  
Dwayne arched his eyebrow and shot me a knowing smile. "I'm not entirely sure."  
I laughed slightly, feeling a little more at ease now. "I understand."  
In walked two more famous faces and I looked at the floor upon the sight of Paul Levesque and Chris Benoit entering the room. Paul was known better as Triple H and Chris Benoit was fairly despised by Jerichoholics like me. He was very serious, even in person. I stifled a giggle as I gave thought to Jericho calling Benoit 'Mister Roboto.'  
He set his gear down and looked at me, then his small group of coworkers that had gathered around me.  
"A Jericho fan, eh?"  
"One of the many."  
"Heh...I'm gonna kick his ass all over Fort Lauderdale tonight."  
"Somehow I doubt that, Benoit." Dwayne told him. It was a little odd to hear him speak in the first person for a change.  
"What the hell...?" Triple H questioned, pulling one of Chyna's stage outfits out of his bag.  
"Oh that's ALL you. Who are you wrestling? Jackie? Trish, perhaps?" Mick scoffed as everyone else but Benoit and Triple H laughed.  
"A-ha, ha, ha.....smartass." He responded, tossing the boostier back into the bag. "I know if she hated seeing Manna (Stevie Richards) dress up in her clothes, she'd kick my ass from here to Connecticut!" He exclaimed, showing us something we rarely saw on TV -- a genuine smile. "On the other hand....."  
"She already wears leather...where's the whip?"  
"Oh Mick, shut up already." He growled.  
"You'd like it if she'd kick your ass." Dwayne laughed, not letting it go.  
"Aren't I due for another match with you?" Triple H asked.  
"Not that I know of." Dwayne replied with a big grin.  
"Damn."  
Since it was getting close to showtime, I said goodbye to the guys, thanked Adam for signing my poster, and followed Mick around a little. We no sooner got into the hallway than we ran into Joanie Laurer. My jaw dropped momentarily.  
"Whoa....it's Chyna..."  
"Where is Hunter? I know I don't wear too much to the ring, but this won't cover jack." She told Mick, pulling Triple H's trunks out of her bag. She looked at me and shook my hand with her free hand. "Hi. I'm Joanie. Excuse my bad manners."  
"I'm Donna." I replied. Not many females that watched WWF liked Chyna, but to me, she was a pretty good person to have as a role model, and I couldn't wait for her book to come out. "You are awesome in the ring. You're also a great actress. You're overall a great role model for women."  
She smiled. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you to say, and it means a lot." She looked back up at Mick. She was damn tall. A good five inches taller than me, at least.  
"He's in the locker room."  
"Thanks. Nice meeting you, Donna."  
"Same here!"  
"Amazing how she can just switch personalities in the ring, huh?"  
"I think that can be said for everyone I've met, really."  
"Who have you met with the biggest difference in personas?"  
"Triple H."  
"And the least?"  
I laughed. "Benoit."  
"Who is talking about Benoit? We are not allowed to mention him!" Said a voice behind us. When we turned around, we were face to face with Chris Jericho.


	3. Chapter Three

## Chapter 3

"A fan of yours just met a few of the guys in the locker room and he was one of them." Mick told him.  
"I feel for you. I really do." Chris joked. "But all joking aside, we've known each other for quite awhile and we enjoy the friendly rivalry we have."  
With my heart going a mile a minute again, I found myself actually afraid to look up at him, for fear that I might pass out.  
"I can believe it." I mumbled, letting my shyness creep into my throat again. He touched my chin with a gentle finger.  
"You're pretty shy. Okay, Mick, that's it. I'm adopting her for the evening."  
"If you say so, Chris. Nice meeting you."  
"Same here, Mick." I snuck a side glance at Chris, who was dressed in street clothes...blue jeans, tennis shoes and a Rangers jersey. "You like Wayne Gretzky?" I asked.  
"I was sad to see him retire. He was the greatest to ever play the game."  
"I remember watching Wayne play as I was growing up...he was excellent. And to see him retire broke my heart."  
"You must really love hockey."  
"My stepdad's Canadian -- he taught me to love the sport. He also taught me how to play goalie."  
"You play goalie? You must be one very brave young lady!" He exclaimed. "My dad taught me how to play forward."  
"Your dad used to play for the Rangers...what was that like?"  
"It was interesting. My life kind of reflects his in the sense that I'm away from home an awful lot."  
"That must be difficult. Do you ever get lonely for home?"  
"Sometimes I do," He replied thoughtfully, "but I enjoy my job."  
"I can tell you're very happy in the WWF."  
"Best move I ever made."  
"That's great to hear."  
"I like that jersey." He told me. I smiled, looking at the floor as we walked.  
"Thanks. So do I."  
He stopped and stood in front of me. "You don't have to be so shy, you know."  
"I know." I told him halfheartedly.  
"Come on." He urged. “Look the world in the eye. Or me at least!” I glanced up at him, then really looked. "Hey! There you go!" He said, a smile dancing in his icy blue eyes, then showing up on his lips. "Were you this shy with anyone else you met?"  
"Just Edge, but that was mainly because I got left behind by my best friend and Shane, and he scared the daylights out of me."  
"Oh really?"  
"Yeah."  
"We'll have to see what becomes of that one. I might just have to beat his butt for it!" He joked. "So you're here with your best friend?"  
"Yeah. She's here to watch the shows and to do an article for the tabloid her mother works for."  
"Those things are horribly nosy."  
"I know." I told him with a frown.  
"Alright! Break it up!" Joked Jason Reso as he walked up to us. Now, given that I wrote stories about his in-ring character and followed his career for the past year, I had to admit that I had it bad for him since I started watching and saw him for the first time while I was in my previous relationship. He seemed like a great person to know. "Adam told me that I had a fan out here and she needed a poster signed."  
Chris gave Jason a lopsided grin. "Is that right? Well, I'm sorry buddy, I guess she left."  
"On the contrary, my friend, she's standing right here!" He said. His eyes met mine and held my stare for a good fifteen seconds or so. Chris looked all around, moved me to one side and back, then looked up at Jason again, the goofy grin latching itself to his face one more time.  
"I don't see her. Dammit, Jay, did you forget to take your medication before you left your trailer?" Chris laughed. "Because all I see standing here is a die-hard Jerichoholic."  
"Then what's this?" Jason asked lightly, nodding toward and reaching for my poster. I let him take it and he opened it. "Ooh....busted...she likes us too!" He laughed. Chris looked at me, pouting. I couldn't help but laugh.  
"Pictures plaster my wall back home. I have the poster of you, of course!"  
He grinned a proud, toothy grin. "Well, good!"  
Jay spread the poster out as flat as he and Chris could get it, then he signed it for me. The thought of my camera came to my mind.  
"Could I please get a picture of you two?"  
"Sure." They said as Jay rolled the poster back up and handed it back to me, looking at me again. There was something there. I could sense it that time. They posed for me, then I took a picture with both of them. Jason put his arm across my shoulders lightly. I sure as hell didn't mind.  
"Okay....um...I've gotta go...see you later....and, um, nice meeting you....?"  
"Donna."  
"Donna....pretty name." He told me with a smile. He shook my hand then actually lifted it to his face and kissed it like in the medieval era or something. He was such a romantic type of guy.  
"Thanks." I told him.  
Jason walked away slowly. Benoit walked around the corner shortly afterward, dressed in his ring attire.  
"You know, I think I should get to kick Benoyt's ass for the fun of it tonight. Screw the title shot!" Chris said loudly.  
Benoit stopped and gave us an irritated stare. "Good one, Irvine. Watch when I throw your match for you."  
It was clear that the 'friendly' rivalry they shared ran quite deep.  
"You won't, though."  
"Humph." He replied, winking at me, then kept on walking.  
"I swear his face would crumble if he smiled." Chris joked. I smiled, still thinking about Jason.  
"You're probably right."  
"Good evening, Chris." Came a deep voice behind us.  
"Evening Mr. McMahon." Chris greeted his boss.  
"Evening, ma'am." Vince said kindly as we shook hands.  
"Pleasure to meet you, sir."  
"You must be the other young lady. My son said he and the young lady he was showing around lost you." He told me, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face.  
"That would be them." I confessed.  
"Listen, since Chris has to get ready for action soon, I was wondering if you'd like to get reunited with your friend in the green room, then you can go ahead to some better seats and come back after the show."  
Chris nodded. "Go ahead. I'll look for you and your nice signs out there."  
"Okay." I said, watching him leave for the locker room. I wanted to meet more people and talk to Chris some more, but then I smiled at the thought of Jason kissing my hand with his sweet lips and looking at me with his beautiful blue eyes. There was certainly something there. At least I wanted there to be.


	4. Chapter Four

## Chapter 4

"So you must both really love the WWF to be doing a feature story on it."  
"It's so different behind the scenes than what you see on TV."  
"Illusions are wonderful. We work hard on the plots and have to have several versions in case someone gets injured."  
"That's amazing."  
We walked into the green room and there sat Maria, accompanied by Shane and Stephanie.  
"Steph, did you find Mark to let him know about the motorcycle?"  
"Yes, dad."  
"What'd you do? Get lost?" Maria joked, pulling me aside.  
"I didn't mean to!" I told her defensively.  
"Too bad you did. I got to meet the Undertaker, the Hardy Boyz and Lita."  
"I met a lot of people too." I told her with a grin.  
"Between the two of us, my mom's paper should have a totally awesome story."  
"Okay, ladies. May I escort you both to your seats?" Shane asked.  
"Sure."  
Vince handed us official backstage post-show lanyards and we were on our way. He had us moved to right in front of the ring, still in the front row.  
"After the tapings close, you'll want to go to the entrance on the other side of the ramp. See you both later."  
"Thank you, Shane." We chorused. On his way backstage, Shane stopped to sign some autographs, shake some hands and chat with some of the fans who were quickly making their way to their seats.  
It was getting close to showtime, but my mind wasn't on the show. It was on Jason.

***********

As the lights dimmed, Maria elbowed me.   
"Don't you think we should pick up some stuff to have the wrestlers sign?"  
"I'm already one step ahead of you." I told her waving my poster. "Christian and Edge both signed this for me."   
"You're kidding me!"  
"I'll show you when the lights come back on."  
"You suck. I bet you got pictures too."  
"Yes, I had the benefit of flash photography."   
"Oh shut up." She joked, smacking my shoulder playfully. "So who'd you get pictures with?"  
"Christian and Chris Jericho."  
The RAW music exploded throughout the National Car Rental Center, followed by the pyrotechnics. One thing I had forgotten in the few months since attending an event was the fact that you can't hear JR and Jerry Lawler from the audience.   
"You know--" Maria began as Triple H's music rudely interrupted her. Hunter made his way down to the ring and was escorted by Shane, or rather, Shane's bandwagon-jumping alter-ego.  
"Undertaker," Hunter began, "you came out here on Thursday night and cost me my title shot on SmackDown! and then that idiot Mick Foley expects us to be a tag team and you stab me right in the back again, leaving me to get my ass kicked by the Rock and your brother Kane! I want to you to come out here so I can tear you apart right now!"  
Undertaker's song "American Badass" by Kid Rock thundered through the arena and out walked the Undertaker, dressed in his jeans, denim shirt, boots and long, black leather coat.  
"Oh....hello..." Maria drooled.  
"Triple H, believe me, I'd love nothing better than to take you on in the center of that ring, put my hand around your throat and chokeslam you straight to hell!" He growled as he shrugged off his trenchcoat. Mick Foley's 'Mankind' music was quick to follow on the heels of Undertaker's statement, and Mick walked onstage and onto the ramp.  
"Now I know that you both would like to beat the hell out of each other, and I'd like to see it, as would the fans right here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida--!" Mick cried as the entire audience roared in approval. "But I'm afraid that we'd have a No Mercy-potential match a few weeks too early. Now, I'm not one to disappoint the fans, so here's what I'll do: Triple-H, you will pair up with Kane to take on the Undertaker and Kurt Angle!"  
"Mick, you must have taken one too many chairs to the head in your career, because there's absolutely NO way--!"  
"We accept!" Shane interrupted. Triple-H turned and faced Shane.  
"What the hell are you doing?!" He cried, getting in Shane's face.  
"I'm doing what's needed for you to prove you can kick his ass no matter who accompanies him!"  
"You're going to get me killed! Thanks, but no thanks!"  
"Are you afraid that I'm going to whoop your ass?" Undertaker growled. "’Cause I don't need Kurt Angle out here. I can take Kane down, and then I can take you down!"  
Mick laughed knowingly.  
"I'll take you on, I'll take Kurt Angle on...it doesn't matter to me who the hell I tag with, because in the end, it'll be you who'll be lying in the center of that ring and me with my hand raised!”  
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you, Helmsley?"  
"I know exactly what I'm getting myself into."   
Maria was more into this exchange than I was, so I just watched, took some pictures and allowed myself to daydream about Jason a little. During the commercial break, Maria asked me to show my poster to her, which I gladly did.  
"You officially suck. You will give me your poster now."  
"No I won't." I laughed. "I damn near died from heart failure when Edge found me in the locker room after you and Shane left me behind!"  
"We didn't 'leave' you in the locker room--" She began as the Dudley Boyz made their way out to the ring. I grimaced. I didn't like them at all.  
"Yeah, right. Whatever." I replied lightly as the Hardy Boyz ran to the ring. Maria was back to ignoring me because of Jeff Hardy being in the ring. I sighed, looking at Matt and snapping some photos. "Careful, Maria. I may need to get you a mop for the puddle of drool you're leaving on the floor."  
"Then watch your step." She replied as I snapped a photo of Jeff doing the Swanton Bomb on Bubba, who somehow managed to get the shoulder up. "Damn you, Bubba!" Maria cursed. The momentum swung in the opposite direction, giving the Dudleys the upper hand, then they left the ring to get some tables. They set one up by us outside the ring, and one up in the ring itself. They were quick, but not quick enough. The Hardys quickly regained the upper hand and got the three count. No sooner did the referee raise their hands in victory than Edge and Christian ran down to the ring, armed with steel chairs that were predictably used on the Hardys. Instead of watching the action in general, my eyes were focused on Jason. "I think we both need that mop, Donna. Donna? Daaaaaawwwna! Yoo-hoo!" She whistled sharply, bringing me back to some level of attention. "Yo! Donna!"  
As Edge and Christian played up to the crowd from the ropes, Jason appeared to be scanning the crowd for someone.  
"He doesn't..."  
"Have an attitude? Sure they do. Both of them have very huge ones!"  
Jason's eyes found mine and he smiled at me. "I think they're both very nice--"  
"Looking, yes, I'm afraid they know they are."  
"Never mind." I said as I smiled and waved in response to Jason's smile. But no sooner did they step off of the ropes than did the Dudleys launch a cowardly attack on them. This was a beating that both the Hardys and the Dudleys were taking great joy in, finally sending Edge through the table in the ring, and Christian into the one close to us. Everybody in the front row like we were leaned over and looked down at Christian, cheering. He looked up at us after a minute, looking a little out of it. He actually looked like he might have bumped his head off of the mat (that rested on the hard, concrete floor as some warped sort of ‘cushion’) a little harder than anticipated. I managed to lean over just enough to be unnoticed to question his well-being. “Are you okay?” He looked up at me, focusing his eyes on mine and nodded slightly. "Okay." I replied, smiling down at him. He shot me a quick smile, then grimaced and sat up, holding his head.   
"Ouch." Maria said beside me.  
"Yeah really." There were a couple of other matches and then a little commentary by Jericho up on the titan tron.   
"You know, he'd be so cool to have as a friend or even a big brother." I nodded in response.  
"Chris, how do you feel about taking on The Rock for the WWF title later tonight?" Michael Cole asked. Chris gave him a questioning look.  
"Now, Michael Cole, I can't believe you have the horrible job of asking me a stupid question like that! How do you THINK I feel, jerky? Elated, gleeful, happy, exhilarated, jovial, thrilled, excited, ELECTRIFIED...does that answer your question?" He said, obviously summoning his internal thesaurus.   
"Yes, I think---"  
"Don't think, jerky! I can smell the wood burning. That's dangerous." He replied.   
"Ooh...ouch." I laughed.  
"Now go ask someone else a stupid question. Why don't you ask Chris ‘Benoyt’ when he plans to get a consultation from a dentist, or ask Mideon who the hell burned all his clothes? Probably you from thinking too hard...or why not ask Steven Richards about censoring some of the boring monologues those two surfer boys Edge and Christian deliver in the ring? Or how about this one: ask The Rock what it'll feel like to be title-less after tonight?!" He cried, pushing Michael Cole aside and walking away.   
Next up on the card was T and A against Kaientai.  
"This is a RAW match?" Maria questioned. "Okay, sure..."  
"I suppose...."  
"So who all did you meet besides Edge and Christian?"  
"Mick, The Rock, Triple H, Benoit, Chyna and Chris Jericho."  
"Damn, girl!" I went into some of the details, including the wardrobe mix-up between Chyna and Hunter, and then about Christian kissing my hand before he said goodbye to me. "He did what? When were you planning to inform me of this? You're trying to make me jealous, aren't you? Well, you can definitely shut up for real now." She joked. I grinned a wicked grin.  
"It really happened, I swear."  
"How did it happen? I thought you liked Jericho. Dammit, girl, make up your mind!"  
"JASON made a move on ME, and you know I've liked him for much, much longer, attitude problem and all!"  
"Okay, okay." She replied. "I don't believe you! I bring you here to help me with a once-in-a-lifetime article, while you’re on vacation and you somehow make it into Love Connection: The WWF Edition!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "Although I have a thing for both Undertaker and Jeff Hardy, I'm definitely willing to comfort Jericho when he finds out that such a diehard Jerichoholic is being reformed by 'surfer boy' Christian!"  
"You know I have crushed hard on Christian since he debuted. Some little sister you'd be."  
"I'd make a totally excellent friend, though." She said wickedly with an evil little smile.  
"Friend...yeah sure." I said, turning my attention back to the ring where Triple H now was.


	5. Chapter Five

## Chapter 5

Triple H stood in the middle of the ring eyeing Kane as Kurt Angle made his way to the ring.  
"Okay...can you answer this for me, Donna? Why in the HELL did they give Kurt Angle pyros?" Maria asked me. "I don't think they fit his persona at all."  
"I agree." I mumbled, getting my camera ready for the Undertaker's entrance. ‘American Badass’ echoed throughout the arena once again and out came the Undertaker on his motorcycle, driving right by us and around the ring.  
Once he got into the ring, the match began. Taker was a whirlwind of energy, beating on Triple H mercilessly. Taker didn't mind tagging Kurt, but Hunter couldn't get to his corner to tag Kane. All hope was lost until Kane stepped over the ropes and took Kurt out of the ring, leaving Hunter alone with the Undertaker. Not that Kane cared to be tagged in by Hunter in the first place. The whole match went back and forth until Undertaker finally got the upper hand and got the pinfall. He gave Hunter one last kick in the side and left the ring, sizing up his brother on the way back to his bike and proceeded to drive off.  
Kevin Kelly then appeared on the Titan Tron beside The Rock. "Rock, how do you feel about--"  
"How does The Rock feel?" Rock said, looking at Kevin. "How do you THINK The Rock feels about defending his title? Jericho, you talk about being happy and glorified, bonafide, stupified....whatever you plan to be when you get into the ring is up to you. Thing is, you won't be 'electrified' when you step into that ring, because Jabroni, that's MY job. The next thing you'll be doing is reading that thesaurus from a hospital bed."  
"Rock--"  
"Shut up, Jabroni! Don't you have something better to do?" Kevin opened his mouth to respond and Rock put a hand in front of Kevin's face. "The Rock said 'shut up'! Do you not know HOW to shut up? Jericho, as far as you wanting to know how it'll feel to be title-less after this evening, I suggest you take a long, hard look at yourself in the closest mirror-- provided it doesn't break-- and ask yourself that very question! If you smell.....what The Rock....is.....cookin'!"  
"Kind of short." Maria said, reading my mind. I arched an eyebrow and nodded as we settled in to watch Eddie Guerrero fight Chris Benoit.  
Finally it was time for the main event. Jericho made his entrance in his hockey jersey. I took several pictures as Maria held up our sign. He saw it as he walked by, and pointed to it, smiling. We both smiled back at him, then he climbed into the ring and removed his jersey, now set for action.  
The Rock came out afterward and played up to the crowd for a bit, then the two got the match underway. They both put together a really good match, but The Rock couldn't get the Rock Bottom executed quickly enough to follow through with the accompanying People's Elbow, therefore, giving Jericho the upper hand. Jericho managed to execute his Lionsault in a rather timely manner and we counted 1-2-3 with the ref.  
"Your winner and NEW WWF Champion....Chris Jericho!"  
Maria and I cheered and whistled loudly for Jericho as he played up to the crowd while holding the belt up for all of us to see as the went off the air.  


*********

The crowd filtered out of the arena and Maria and I ran to the souvenir counter and bought a few items, then ran back to the gate Shane told us to go to.after the show. There stood Stephanie, waiting for us.  
"Maria, right?"  
"Yes."  
She looked at me. "And you're Donna?"  
"Yeah...hi."  
"Okay, cool." She said, relieved. "Listen...Maria, I need you to follow me. Donna, I was asked to have you walk to the ring and wait there. Someone wanted to meet you out there."  
"Huh? Go out to the ring by myself?"  
"Not entirely. Chris here can accompany you if you don't want to go out there by yourself."  
I handed my stuff to Maria. "Get some good pictures." I told her, handing my camera too.  
"I will, you lucky dog." She grinned, following Stephanie out back. I looked up at Chris.  
"How does it feel to be the Heavyweight Champion?"  
"It feels really good. I'm on top of the world."  
"You knew it was going to happen, though, right?"  
"Yeah, but it still feels wonderful, no matter if I knew or not." He told me, escorting me down the ramp. I looked all around me at the empty arena.  
"I'd never be able to do what you do." I said, shaking my head.  
"Why not? It's so much fun."  
"Playing an alter-ego, that I could do. It's just the rough-and-tumble aspect of it I probably wouldn't be able to handle very well."  
"I thought goalies were supposed to handle pain well." He pointed out, stepping on one rope and lifting another so I could enter the ring.  
"I can, but it's really not the same type of pain." I informed him as he followed me into the ring.  
"I know. I'm just getting you to talk and feel comfortable, seeing as you were ready to collapse on me before the show. I don't bite, do I?" I smiled shyly, shaking my head. "Listen, Donna. I know who summoned you out here."  
"Who?"  
"For only knowing you for five minutes, Jason sure seems to think the world of you."  
"He does?"  
"All night in the locker room, it was all we could do to shut him up and concentrate on working. He was really worried that you wouldn't come back after the show; that he'd scared you away with the kiss he'd given you."  
"No way. I couldn't have that effect on any guy -- ever." I sighed, thinking about Brad and his abusive ways.  
"Believe me, you managed to kick his heart into gear somehow." Chris informed me. "He's had his own heart broken a couple of times because he believes in seeing the good in everyone. He shut his heart down after the last girlfriend he had....and he shut it down to everyone. But seeing you tonight....whatever you want to call it: love at first sight, puppy love, a crush...it's there and it's got both his head and his heart in pretty rough shape."  
"What happened with his last girlfriend?" I asked softly, half of me not wanting to know.  
"She treated him like dirt. 'Jason do this', 'Jason do that', 'Jason, I need this and I want that'. He would have given her the world on his shoulders had she asked him for it. He loved her so much. It was horrible how she used him in every way and he never even saw it like we did until..." Chris trailed off.  
"Until...?" I pressed.  
"Until he came home from being on the road to find her in bed with a friend of his from the indies." I frowned. "I never saw him so torn down in my life. Adam tried for days on end to try and cheer him up. Adam's known Jason since they were in sixth grade."  
I sat down on the apron from inside the ring, letting my legs dangle over the side, then proceeded to rest my arms and head on the second rope. Chris sat the opposite way, his back against the ropes and his legs stretched out straight in front of him.  
"That's a long time. What happened then?"  
"He embraced the whole Ministry goth version of his character rather heavily and closed up to everyone. It gave him a reasonable excuse to do so. Then when Vince broke the news to them that he was breaking up the Brood to give the Hardys a push with Gangrel, Jason was upset, but played along anyway."  
"He looks happy playing the lighter side of his character."  
"He puts his heart and soul into his Christian character. He's a damn hard worker. He actually enjoys the comedic part of it. People -- fans and critics alike -- have no idea whatsoever how hard he works. He's happy to be here, but his love life pretty much hit the bottom of the barrel."  
"I'm sorry." I told Chris.  
"Am I interrupting something? Because if I am, I can come back later." Jason said into a microphone from beneath the Titan Tron.  
"Not at all. She was afraid to sit out here by herself, so I kept her company." Chris told him, standing up as Jason walked slowly down the ramp. "See you later, Donna. It was nice talking to you."  
"Thanks, Chris."  
Chris met Jason halfway and said something while motioning in my direction that made a slight smile cross Jason's lips. Jason then continued to walk down to the ring and I watched Chris continue up the ramp and through the curtain as Jason stepped in between the ropes.  
"So..." He began nervously. What was this? A guy shyer than me? I found it quite endearing, though. I smiled.  
"How's your head?"  
He laughed apprehensively.  
"I have a slight bump, but I've encountered worse."  
"I bet." I replied, giving thought to what Chris just got done spilling in my lap about Jason's past. What I wouldn't give to kick the girl's ass that ripped his heart out of his chest and stomp on it. One time. That's all I wished for.  
"You weren't this nervous before. Are you okay? I was more nervous than you were before the show."  
"Yeah, I-I'm fine." He stumbled over his words, sitting beside me. "So, tell me something. How come you like Edge and Christian so much? You're supposed to think we're horrible and self-centered. Everyone hates us."  
"It's hard for me to see anything but the side of you that was in The Brood." I told him. He looked at me.  
"Not my best days, but that's what Christian is supposed to be like."  
"Depressed and gothic?" He looked surprised by this assessment.  
"Quiet and reserved."  
"You seem to enjoy the side of him that you're playing now."  
"It's such an act. Vince wanted to break up The Brood to give everyone a push."  
“Then you're not happy about such a drastic change in the character."  
"It's not Christian himself. I just don't share any of his cheery, self-centered qualities, although I do enjoy being a goofball a little bit. However, I'm still the quiet and reserved part deep in here." He admitted, pointing to his chest.  
"Is that the way you've always been?" He looked away.  
"Nah." He confessed, looking into the sea of empty chairs. The look in his blue eyes was really distant.  
"Then why are you this way now?"  
He gave a lonely sigh. I knew I was begging to hear a repeat of what Chris just told me, but I figured it might help him to actually talk about it. The same eyes that smiled at me before now sparkled with tears. "I'm too damn trusting." He finally mumbled, swallowing hard. "It's not a big secret around here or in the media. I don't know if it has anything to do with where I am in my career or what, but it seems like every girl I come across just wants the money I make, which surprisingly, isn't a whole hell of a lot. I don't demand a lot of it, but I'll gladly take what Vince cares to give me. I don't have a generosity problem, believe me, but you can't keep taking from somebody and never give anything back."  
"I apologize. I pressed for too much information. I didn't mean to."  
A tear fell down his cheek and I reached over and wiped it away.  
"It's not your fault. You're just asking me regular questions and now here I sit, my face all wet."  
"That's okay. I like talking with you, and I don't mind the tears at all." He looked at me.  
"You don't?"  
"I like the honesty. I like the fact that you're not throwing your hands in the air and saying, 'who cares?' You're showing your human side. We all have one."  
"I haven't been this honest with anyone since The Brood was just getting put together."  
"That's a long time. What about Adam? Or anyone else in the Federation?"  
"Adam's my best friend, and Chris is a good friend, too. The rest of the roster is great, but none of them can relate."  
"Do you trust me enough to continue talking to me? Because I can sense that you've kind of opened a wound that you've struggled hard to keep closed for some time."  
Another sigh as he thought for a little bit. "Have you ever given everything you own to gain someone's love?"  
"Not me, but my stepdad has."  
Obviously an acceptable answer, he nodded slightly and proceeded. "I gave her everything I possibly could. She is currently a women's champ in the lower ranks where I used to wrestle. She broke me financially and then she broke me mentally."  
"How?"  
"She was just horrible. She is from a wealthy family and was horribly greedy. I'm sure she still is. She acted like she was the queen of everything. Adam kept telling me, 'Man, she's using you and abusing you. Look at yourself!' I refused to open my eyes and step back to evaluate the situation because I loved her so much and was blind to her faults. To use the old cliché, she'd tell me to jump and I'd ask 'how high?' I was like a faithful puppy, giving her my constant attention and love, and showering her with gifts and money. She definitely had me on a chain. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean, right?"  
"Right."  
"Well, one night, I came home early from being on the road to surprise her with roses, candy, champagne and an engagement ring, only to find her in my bed sleeping with one of _my_ friends from our federation in the minors!"  
That was something Chris either didn't care to share with me or didn't know about. Jason had planned on asking this cheating twit to marry him. I was royally upset but tried my damnedest not to show it. He looked away from me, finally letting go of the tears. I never in a million years expected him to be so vulnerable in front of me with him only knowing me for such a short period of time. I reached over and pulled him close to me.  
"I'm so sorry. Not all girls are like that. I swear. I know that I'm not." I told him, looking up and seeing Adam looking at us gravely from under the Titan Tron. He nodded and walked backstage.  
When Jason finally calmed down, he looked up at me.  
"You actually understand?"  
"Well, I _want_ to understand." I told him. He sat up, wiping the tears off of his face.  
"Are you for real?" He laughed bitterly.  
"I'm afraid so." I joked. He gave me a shy smile.  
"I'm not."  
"You seemed to be a little scared when you came out here a few minutes ago." I pointed out.  
"Well, I was kind of afraid that you might have taken my kissing your hand in a bad way."  
"What bad way could I have possibly taken it?"  
"I don't know. Some girls take offense to things like that."  
"Not me. I was flattered. It was totally unexpected." I informed him.  
"I'm sure it was. I was kicking myself for doing it until you asked me if I was all right out there."  
"Well, going through that table didn't exactly look painless."  
"It definitely was far from painless, but it's worse if you don't know how to take a bump."  
"I bet." The crew came down to disassemble the ring. Jason slipped out of the ring underneath the ropes, then helped me out of the ring. We walked up into the seats and sat there for a while, watching in silence as the crew worked. It was a rather comfortable silence, until they turned on the radio through the P.A. system, and a favorite song of mine by *N Sync came on: God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You. "Do you dance?"  
"I've got two left feet. Scott and Brian have tried to help me, but it's no use." He replied, referring to Too Cool.  
"Well, if I had those two helping me, I'd be lost, too. Come on. Follow me." I said, taking his hand in mine.  
"Oh no, you're kidding me, right?"  
"Nope." I told him, pulling him to his feet and leading him down to the floor where the crew was working and now quietly stopping to watch us. "Now, relax. Just listen to the song and do what I do."  
"They're all watching us, though, Donna." He whispered in my ear.  
"Who cares? Give them something to watch then." I told him with a slightly mischievous grin. He glanced up at the crew shyly as we began to dance to the song, then focused on me. "You're doing well."  
"Thanks." He replied, following my lead. I proceeded to rest my head on his chest, perfectly content half-listening to the song and half-listening to his heartbeat. I wished that the moment could have lasted forever. It was perfect, regardless of where we were.  
The song came to a close and when we broke apart from each other, he cupped my face in his hands very gently, then leaned forward and gave me a long, soft kiss on the lips. I was shocked that my knees found the strength to keep me standing.  
Applause arose from the stagehands as I felt my face turn three different shades of crimson from my own shyness. I looked him in the eyes after we broke the kiss and smiled up at him, and he returned it.


	6. Chapter Six

## Chapter 6

We walked backstage and were greeted by Adam.  
"Everything okay?"  
"I think so, yeah." Jason replied, looking down at me.  
"Good. Donna, your friend was beginning to wonder what happened to you."  
"Huh? She was? Did she leave?"  
"Nah. She's hanging out somewhere with the Hardys and Amy, I think."  
"Oh okay."  
"Alright. I'm going elsewhere. See you both later."  
I knew Adam was simply checking on his best friend, but I wasn't sure if Jason realized it or not.  
"Okay, tell me something. Am I gonna be sick from watching you two? Some Jerichoholic you are!" Chris joked, winking at me. "I can't believe you're reforming her!"  
"Hey...things happen." Jason laughed.  
"Mushy....blecch. So, is this official or what?"  
"We'll see."  
"Well geez...if you choose to get mushy, there are plenty of rooms back here." He told us as he walked away. "Good luck, though. I hope it works out."  
We walked into one of the green rooms and sat on the couch.  
"I never asked you -- where would 'back home' be?"  
"'Back home' is Michigan." I told him. "Jason, I hate to bring up that girl again, but what's her name?"  
"Kathrine Mitchell. She wrestles in the minors under 'Starr'. Her partner in the crime is her current partner in the ring, Richard 'Hawk' Blake." He said, making a distasteful face. "Why do you want to know?"  
"I'm just curious, that's all. I thought that if I heard her name, I'd figure out if I'd heard of her or not."  
"And?"  
"Nope. Never heard of her, and I hope never to hear of her again. Long gone, I hope." I told him. "Enough about her anyway."  
"Agreed." He smiled, sliding closer to me. "So with you in Michigan and me on the road, do you think we could make this work? I'd hate to never see you again."  
"That's entirely up to you. I'm willing to give it a shot if you are. A good question would be, 'are you ready to trust again'?"   
He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I think so." I took his hands in mine and looked into his eyes.  
"I'm not like her. I don't believe in wrapping anyone around my finger, or using someone for money, and I know that you have a heart that you've protected heavily for three years as it's tried hard to mend itself. You were hurt badly and I refuse to contribute to the pain she left behind." He nodded.  
"I guess I should realize that it's time to move on, huh?"  
"If you’re ready."  
"Oops...sorry!" Cried Matt Hardy.  
"What's up, Matt?"  
"Nothin'. I didn't know that you two were in here. Sorry."  
"That's okay."  
"We were just looking for Amy's bag." Matt told us, pointing to Jeff, who stood behind him.  
"Well, it's not in here."  
"Okay. Thanks." He replied, shutting the door quickly.  
"Is it just me, or did that seem like some sort of spying mission?" Jason laughed.  
"Good thing you said it, because I wasn't going to."  
"I should have told him that her bag's probably in the women's locker room where she left it." The next one to shock the _all_ hell out of us was Mideon. Jason covered my eyes quickly. "What are you _doing,_ Dennis?"  
"I'm looking for my clothes."  
"Good idea...please hurry." Jason said, resting his forehead against my shoulder. I just burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Mideon had been on a streaking fetish lately and was feeling mighty comfortable in his favorite suit....and everyone else's least favorite, for that matter.   
"Have you seen them around here anywhere?"  
"No!" Jason said, my laughter becoming as contagious as a cold as he began to laugh as well. He continued to shield my eyes though. "I'm sure--"  
"Maybe your friend's seen them --?"  
"No, I'm sure she hasn't. Please, Dennis, I'm begging you to look elsewhere."  
"You should really try this sometime."  
"No thanks. I'll have to pass."   
"Okay, Jason. Thanks." Dennis said, shutting the door behind him. Jason cautiously lifted his head, both of us still laughing hysterically, then removed his hand from my eyes.  
"You didn't really need to see that nastiness."  
"Thank you for saving me from that horrendous view." I giggled.   
"You know, since we apparently can't get any privacy around here, I was wondering if there was any way we could go out someplace kind of solitary and just talk."  
"I have to let Maria know, though."  
"Okay, let's go find her."  
We opened the door and walked down the hall and finally found Maria in a room chatting with Amy Dumas. By Amy's side sat her duffel bag Matt and Jeff were claiming to be looking for.   
"Hey guys." Amy greeted us.  
"Hey, do Matt and Jeff know that you found your bag?" Jason asked her, arching an eyebrow. Amy looked up at her friend questioningly.   
"Found it? It was never lost to begin with."  
"I'll keep that in mind." He said. Amy shook her head and laughed, waving her hands in the air.  
"Don't use me as an excuse for the next chair shot you and Adam give them. Whatever is going on will not involve me."  
"No problem."  
"Listen, Maria, Jason invited me to go somewhere with him and talk. Do you mind?"  
"Fine. Abandon me. See if I care." She joked, looking up at us and winking. "No. Seriously, go ahead, but be careful."  
"I will. I'll be over tomorrow to hang out and retrieve my things from tonight."   
"No problem. See you then. Any problems, just call."  
And with that said, we were out the door.


	7. Chapter Seven

## Chapter 7

We settled upon a hotel room for the rest of the evening. I wanted to split the cost, but he waved it off.  
When we got into the room, we sat in the room and talked until almost four in the morning, when he fell asleep. I covered him up with the blanket, then rolled over and fell asleep.

********

I woke up to a sweet smell filling the room. It smelled nice, like maple syrup.  
"Jason? Jay? Are you here?"  
"Hi Donna...yeah, I'm here. Did you sleep okay?"  
"I slept better after I remembered to remove my sneakers." I replied sleepily.  
"At least you slept though, right?"  
"Right. What's all that?" I asked, pointing to the plate of food on the dresser.  
"Your breakfast."  
"Okay Jay, I'm begging you not to take any offense, but you have to let me share some of the expenses. It's not fair for you to treat me like a princess."  
He frowned, doing exactly what I begged him not to do. "A hotel room and breakfast in bed is princess treatment?"  
"I didn't mean it like that." I said, now wide awake. I readjusted my ponytail to get my hair out of my face and looked at him. "Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before. I believe in giving and receiving, but I don't recall giving you anything in return."  
"How easily you forget, or maybe you just didn't notice."  
"I vote for the latter. Please clue me in."  
"Concern, a shoulder to cry on, someone to confide in, someone to laugh with, and someone who wants me for more than what's in the billfold of my wallet. Not to mention, you gave me something I don't even remember anymore because it's been so long."  
"What would that be?" I asked, feeling like a total bitch.  
"You gave me back the ability to love and trust and the courage to have a relationship."  
"I'm sorry. I should think before I open my mouth, huh?" I said, verbally kicking myself in the ass. I looked up to see him walking up to me with a forkful of waffle.  
"Don't think right now, just open your mouth." He told me. I ate the piece of waffle and he handed me the empty fork. "It's getting cold."  
"It's good." I told him as he handed me the plate on a phone book in lieu of a tray.  
"Glad you like it." When I finished eating, I looked up at him.  
"I really am sorry. I guess I have a little bit of Oscar the Grouch in me this morning."  
"Don't worry about it. And just so you know, a hotel room and a lukewarm breakfast is hardly a comparison to a homemade breakfast in bed while both the bed _and_ the breakfast are still warm." He said in a slightly mischievous twinkle in his bright blue eyes. "A princess deserves more than this short notice stuff." He said, sitting in front of me and kissing my cheek. " _You_ deserve more than this short notice stuff."  
I was really flattered. Whether he was still trying to win my heart (not knowing he had been successful the evening before) or trying to impress me was unknown to me. I simply thought he was an absolute sweetheart.  
"You're such a sweetie." I told him, giving him a big hug. He smiled.  
"So, you have to go to your friend Maria's house to pick up your stuff, right?"  
"I'm enjoying being here with you though."  
"Well, I was thinking...instead of making Maria drive all the way out here to pick you up, would you like me to drive you to her house?"  
"You don't mind?"  
"Not at all."  
"Okay." I said, laying back down. He rested beside me on his stomach and draped his left arm around my waist. "You realize as much as I do that this is getting us absolutely nowhere, right?"  
"Of course, but it's comfortable."  
"Then we're in agreement." I laughed.  
We did eventually get up and going after another hour of resting and talking. We arrived at Maria's house around two and she greeted us happily.  
"Hi! Come in! Want anything to drink? Juice? Pepsi?"  
I took her up on her Pepsi offer as Jay drank some water and then she pulled me by my arm into her mom's home-office so hard and fast that I thought she dislocated my shoulder.  
"It can wait." I said, knowing what she was poised to ask me.  
"This can't! The WWF is getting this new duo in the next few months on a two-year deal and they're supposed to be really good!" She gushed. She did this every time the WWF got someone new. So I humored her by looking at the headline she pulled up from the WWF's official website, and that was all I needed to see:

**KATHRINE MITCHELL AND PARTNER RICK BLAKE TO SIGN TWO-YEAR DEAL AND DEBUT AT ARMAGEDDON**

Wish granted.


	8. Chapter Eight

## Chapter 8

"Shut the window." I demanded.  
"Huh? Why? I wonder if Jason knows about the newbies yet."  
"What newbies?" He asked, looking from us to the front door.  
"Shut the window." I told her again.  
"There's someone at your front door, Maria." He told her. Maria looked from Jay to me, to her computer and shut the window. Then she ran to the front door to find a kid selling magazines.  
"So, what newbies?" He repeated, now trying to get me to show him what Maria found.  
"Just a couple of people Vince decided to sign." I replied.  
"Oh. I'll meet them when they show up, then."  
_You'll never wish you met them the first time,_ I thought, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I think you deserve to know before they debut in December." He pulled away from me and looked me in the eyes.  
"You're serious. Who is it?" With his hand in mine, I led him over to Maria's computer and pulled up the last window she had open. He stared at the screen for what seemed like an eternity.  
"Jay? Are you---?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Here, sit." I told him, wheeling Maria's mother's desk chair over to him. He sat down slowly as the color drained from his face. I turned back to the article. "They have an angle for her already. She's supposed to be a big rival for Lita and she's going to be yours and Adam's valet."  
"Huh?" He said, totally floored.  
"That's what it says."  
"No. Absolutely not. I'll leave her in the ring alone and watch Amy kick her ass every time, and so will Adam." I sighed. Now he was going to get all worked up and stay that way until he had to leave for Tampa in the morning.  
"Jay, take it easy." I told him as I knelt in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Remember what I told you last night."  
"Everything okay?" Maria asked.  
"Yeah. It could be better, but everything's okay, though." Jay mumbled.  
"Have you ever been to the Sawgrass Mills Mall?" Maria asked Jay, obviously picking up on his attitude change.  
"Huh?"  
"The mall right across the street from where you performed last night."  
"Nope."  
"Why don't we all go, then? Jason, you and Donna both look like your dog just died. I can't have that." She informed us. "That look is not allowed."  
Jason gave me an 'is she for real?' look, and I patted his knee. "She's been my best friend for six years. She knows when someone knows cheering up." So off we went.

**********

Maria sped down the Sawgrass Expressway and got off at the exit marked ‘Panther Parkway.’ I grinned, glancing at the National Car Rental Center as we drove past it. We pulled into the Sawgrass Mills parking lot, which was huge in itself. On our third lap around the lot, I finally spoke up.  
"Hey Marie, are you gonna park the car so Jason can see the _inside_ of the damn mall, or are you gonna pretend you're Jeff Gordon all day?"  
"I thought I'd try for the checkered flag today." She laughed, pulling into a row to make a halfhearted attempt at finding a parking space.  
"Shut up and park already." I told her, my voice light. We got out of the car and on our way up to the Pink Flamingo entrance, Jason gently took my hand in his and used his free hand to pull his cap further down over his face.  
"Okay, where to first?" Maria asked.  
"Tough call." Jay replied, looking around him. After walking around for a bit, Jay looked at a jewelry counter as we looked in Claire's. When he was done, he came into Claire's to join us.  
"What'd you get?"  
"Never mind me." He said, a sneaky look crossing his face. "Why aren't you shopping, Donna?"  
"Because I'm nosey and want to see what you bought."  
"Try again later." He replied, shoving the box into his pocket.  
"That was not very nice, mister." I said, elbowing him in the side. He smiled.  
"Ready?" Asked Maria.  
"I guess."  
We hit up some sports stores and came across a shirt with Christian and Edge on it. I had the same one back home.  
"What do you think?" Jason asked, holding it up to his chest.  
"Not one damn bit alike." Maria joked, wrinkling her nose, then plucking it from his hands. "However, this is one WWF shirt I don't have yet!"  
"Shocker." I told her. “Imagine that. I have something before you.” We somehow ended up in JC Penney, looking at the hats. Jason looked at Maria and I as we tried on some hats, shaking his head. I came up to him with a big floppy hat. "Here. Try one on."  
"Are you kidding me?" I put my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.  
"Live a little. You're not afraid to put this wacko type of stuff on in the ring. Christian does it. You need to follow your character's lead a little bit." Before he could protest, I switched his baseball cap with the floppy hat, then I turned him around and made him look at us in a mirror.  
"I look ridiculous."  
"Jay, look at me. Do I look much better?"  
"Well, no..." He replied, a guilty smile creeping across his face.  
"Didn't think so. And do I look like I care?"  
"Not really."  
"Good. Then you shouldn't either. You care a lot about what everybody thinks of you. Care, but don't care to the point that you forget who you really are and forget to have some fun."  
"Okay." He replied in a mumble, kissing my forehead. Maria came around the corner wearing a straw hat and a feather boa.  
"How do I look, dah-lings?" She asked in her best impression of Zsa-Zsa Gabor. I rolled my eyes.  
"Absolutely perfect." I laughed. We finally moved along to the sports food court. Being a sucker for Taco Bell, I ordered from there while Maria ordered from Burger King. When we sat down with our food, Jason followed Maria's lead and got some food from BK as well. We ate quietly for a few minutes, and as we did this, Jason and I looked at each other and smiled.  
A fry bounced off my nose a minute or two later. I looked in the direction from which it came.  
"And she awakes from her coma! Hallelujah!" Maria exclaimed. I laughed and threw the fry back at her.  
"Very funny."  
"Well, you're laughing, aren't you?"  
"Oh, leave me alone." I told her, still giggling.  
"And you..." She said, tossing a fry at Jason. "need to cheer up before I go nuts watching that hangdog look on your face."  
"Too late. You're nuts already." He scoffed. Maria smiled and looked at me, her eyebrows raised.  
"Ooh...a mouthy one."  
"Don't dish out something you can't handle." He told her, his voice lighthearted as he threw the fry back at her.  
"I never said I can’t handle what I dish out. I simply said you were mouthy, mister." She retorted. "There's a difference, you know."  
"I'm rarely mouthy." He informed her. "I have a very quiet, very sneaky way of getting revenge."  
"For real? Have you heard yourself in the ring lately?"  
"Yes. And yes."  
"Then you and this one are perfect for each other." She told him as she pointed to me. "Good. Get her out of my hair."  
"Alright now." I told her sternly. We finished eating and went to Spencer's to look around. I was worried about bringing Jay in there because of the adult toys. Turns out it was Maria I should have been worried about, because I was being my innocent little window-shopping self as Jay looked over the necklace charms in the display case when Maria tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see her holding some dirty dice on one hand and a can of specially marked whipped cream in the other. "Oh Marie, you're killing me." I laughed, taking them in my hands and looking them over.  
"Can you imagine? Oh my god, Donna! Come on! I want a boyfriend capable of using these on, and you have one of the top candidates! He's awesome! He would be so much fun! Look at that man! That man right there has been your fantasy for some time now and you wouldn't think of using this stuff on him? It’s the opportunity of a lifetime! What the fresh hell is wrong with you? Do I have to teach you everything?" She told me in a low, flustered voice. "You're too innocent to be twenty-three. Are you sure your mom didn't lie to you about your date of birth?"  
"I'm sure." I laughed, looking from the toys in my hands over to Jason, who was now talking to the clerk about looking at something in the case.  
"Just watching you two today, Donna, I can see that you guys click. You just go together. It's nice to see. I want to find someone to pal around with and just to have when the chips are down. You guys have been together for less than a day, and I can see a very strong bond between you. Build a relationship from the trust and friendship you're forming. It's always better that way."  
"Thanks, relationship guru Marie."  
Jay walked up to us and wrapped his arms around my waist.  
"And who are those for?" He asked me mischievously, looking down at the dice and whipped cream that I was now holding. I shoved them back at my best friend, who laughed one hell of an evil laugh. "Those items looked like fun." He told me in a low voice. Maria gave me an 'I told you so' look as she turned on her heel to walk away and put them back.  
"They're -- those are -- those were, um, things she was, uh...she was showing them to me because she wanted to show me some of her ideas she had for her boyfriend." I stammered, feeling my face get really warm.  
"Judging from the shade of red your face is, I'd wager a guess that some part of that fractured sentence is fictional." He replied, a mischievous grin creeping across his face. Well, this was a total change from the hat ordeal from earlier.  
"Busted!" Maria sang, walking by us to pay for a Stone Cold poster she found. "Donna, face it. Your lying skills suck tremendously!"  
"Can it, Marie!" Oh, the humiliation. Tears fell down my cheeks. She didn't mean it, but she did it.  
"Come on, now. What's this?" He asked, wiping the tears away. "I was just kidding with you. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."  
"I don't want you to think that I think of you like that, Jay. I'm not a bad person, and most of the time, I don't think like that at all!"  
"If you did think like that a little more often, you wouldn't be this upset. I believe you." He told me, wrapping his arms around me. "It's alright, and it's normal."  
"You don't mind?"  
He shook his head and smiled. "Nah."  
"At least I don't feel as bad now."  
"Good. Come on. I think Maria's ready to go."  
We walked around some more and Jay draped his arm across my shoulders and hugged me tightly. Later that afternoon I found a nice necklace for him. It was the right length for him to be able to wear it to the ring. A nice silver cross on a black leather rope. After we were done shopping, we all walked back to Maria's car and rode back to her house.  
"So did that trip cure the 'my dog died' blues?" She asked.  
"Yes. Thank you." Jay said.  
"Donna, you're still coming over for SmackDown! tomorrow night, right?"  
"Of course!"  
"I can't wait!"  
"Of course you can't!" I told her. Once Jay and I were on our way back to the hotel, I looked over at him.  
"What?" He asked lightly.  
"Did you have fun today?"  
"A lot of fun. I enjoy your company."  
"And are you okay otherwise?"  
"I'll live."  
"Want to talk about it?"  
"I'd rather not right now."  
"Okay." We rode the rest of the way there in silence, and once in the room, we ordered some food. I picked up several new pairs of shorts and decided to take a shower after Jay got out. I sat on the bed laying out my clothes and allowed myself to think about him in the shower. I laid back on the bed for a moment, then sat back up, realizing I had no clean shirts. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked over to see Jason standing in front of the sink, brushing out his hair, with one of the white hotel towels around his waist. He finished and pulled his long, wet, blond hair into a ponytail. His back and chest had obviously been dried once, only to be made damp again from his hair. I struggled to gather my eyeballs and jaw from the floor before Jay noticed the state of shock I was in. "Damn!" I cried, letting something slip. It couldn't be helped. He turned around to face me.  
"What?"  
"Jay, you don't happen to have a clean shirt I can borrow, do you?" I mumbled, staring at him. I was fumbling. I was going to lose it entirely soon.  
"Actually, I do." He said, walking past me and over to his duffel bag and pulling out a WWF shirt.  
"Thanks." I said, giving a little thought to that whipped cream and those damn dice before he stood up. I grabbed the shirt, then collected my clothes off the bed and quickly dodged into the bathroom before I really did lose it. I leaned against the door and sighed heavily. So much for innocent thinking.  
The food arrived while I was in the shower and by the time I walked out, Jay had it set up. The box he had shoved into his pocket early in the shopping trip sat on my side of the table and he looked at me. He had let his hair down so it could dry and was now dressed in a pair of black jogging pants and still no shirt. Damn Maria for putting thoughts of dirty dice and whipped cream into my head.  
"Open the box." He said proudly. So I sat down, collecting myself once again, and opened it. Inside sat a beautiful, strong gold chain and on the chain sat two gold charms: a cross and a charm that said 'Angel' in script lettering. I looked up at him. "I'm going back on the road tomorrow and I wanted you to have something so you'll know I'm thinking of you."  
"This is too sweet."  
"This is the last time we'll see each other while you're on vacation until we hit Detroit next month. I wanted tonight to be a little special. I apologize if I seem to be rushing things a little bit."  
"You're not." I assured him as he put the necklace on me. I reached up and touched it gently, then got his gift out of my purse. "I got you something, too." I said, handing him the bag. He pulled it out and looked at it happily.  
"It's sharp. Very nice. Thank you." He told me, giving me a hug.  
"If I'd have known--" He put a finger on my lips gently.  
"You picked it out, Donna. I love it." He replied, giving me a kiss on the lips. He put the necklace on and then we ate our dinner.  
When we finished eating, we sat on the bed and talked for a few minutes.  
"So what time do you have to be on your flight?"  
"Noon." He replied. I detected a little sadness in his voice. "Donna, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for understanding how traumatically my last relationship ended and for showing me that I can be myself around you and I can have some fun while I'm at it. Thank you also for giving me back feelings I shut out and haven't felt in three years. You are definitely an angel... _my_ angel."  
"You're welcome Jay. I never even tried to give you all of that. That's the best part of it. We just allowed it to happen."  
He nodded. "So what are you going to tell everyone 'back home' in Michigan?"  
"They'll never believe the truth." I laughed. He smiled. "I'll tell it like it is anyway. This one girl Erin -- one of our secretaries -- asked me how I can wear my Edge and Christian shirt. I don't think she'll question me again."  
Jason laughed. "Some people absolutely _hate_ us right now! I wonder how many fans we have left on our side. Probably just you."  
"Well, I'm not gonna switch my loyalties because the writers made my favorite tag team into two guys that 'reek of total heinosity!'" I laughed.  
"Okay, that was low." He told me, reaching over and tickling me in the side. We wrestled playfully for a little while until he ended up laying on top of me, and we were almost touching noses. He kissed me slowly and gently for the longest time. That was as far as it went, but it was amazing to feel as loved and protected as I did right at that moment.


	9. Chapter Nine

## Chapter 9

I opened my eyes slowly. The clock on the nightstand read **7:17 AM**. I looked over at Jay, who was still sleeping. I reached up slowly and touched his hair, then allowed my finger to trace his shoulder blades, then his spine, then reached back up and stroked his muscular arm. I allowed myself to fantasize a little. Dark, gothic Christian was my fantasy. The silence very mysterious. That was exactly what I loved about that side of his character. The side he played now, the so-called "personality-like" side was more the everyday, seen out in public part I enjoyed. The dark, silent side could be a useful bedroom tool. I smiled, licking my lips upon such a wicked thought. Maybe someday...no whipped cream or dirty dice needed. I sighed, the mere thought relaxing me.  
"Donna?" He questioned with a slight yawn.  
"Hi." I said softly. He rolled over and faced me, looking up at me with his deep blue eyes and smiled. "Did you get a good night's sleep?"  
"I don't want to be awake yet." He confessed, pulling me to him and kissing me.  
When we broke the kiss, I spoke.   
"I think you're telling me a little bit of a story."  
"You think right." He replied, his voice still husky from sleep as he kissed me again. The phone rang a few minutes later and Jay stared at it, frustrated, then reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"  
"Jay? Is that you?"  
"No...it's someone else with his name. What's up, Chris? How'd you find me here?"  
"Don't ask. I was told to wake you up and let you know that you and Adam are facing Lo Down tonight and that you two get to do some teasing on the Lightning."  
"You're joking." Jay mumbled.  
"Nope. Adam was telling me."  
"Of course I get to dress up in Tampa gear." Jay said, sitting up and yawning. "And your match is...?"  
"Against Kane."  
"Lucky you." Jay laughed, then sat up and yawned.  
"So, have you and Donna been hanging out together?"  
"What's it to you, exactly?"  
"Just conversation."  
"Nothing is ever 'just conversation' with you, Irvine. Get real. You're the eyes and ears for Adam right now, aren't you? I swear...doesn't he, and you for that matter, have something more important to concentrate on?" He joked with his friend.  
"Nope. I’m just yanking your chain though, Jay. I was asked by someone to see if you were okay."  
"Tell big brother Adam that I'm fine and that I'm looking forward to slipping into character at the show tonight."  
"That's good to hear. I'm going before you make plans to kick my ass for waking you up."  
"Too late." Jay laughed. "See you later."  
"See you." Chris laughed and hung up.  
"Did I hear you right? Looking forward to playing Christian?"  
"Yeah, a little." He confessed with a sheepish grin.  
"Have fun with it. You really should. Take over some of Adam's mic time, dammit. You don't talk enough out there."  
"Well, he knows how much I despised the character change and the reasons behind why I was so upset, but you showed me that I could have fun, so I will!" He told me happily, leaning over and kissing me again.  
"Mmmmm......yes, this is definitely fun." I told him, wrapping my arms around his neck as we shared a little make out session before he had to get ready to drive me to Maria's and subsequently to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. He was quiet as he drove me back to Maria's, but then spoke up.   
"You're gonna be watching tonight, right?"  
"Of course. Why?"  
"Just because." He said slowly. "In case you see me touch the necklace you gave me, I want you to know I'm thinking of you."  
"That'll give me a reason to watch extra close."  
"Okay." He told me with a grin. We finally pulled into Maria's driveway and I was about to get out when he touched my hand. "Donna?" I turned back to him, looking him in the eyes.   
"Yeah?"  
"I love you." He conceded, bracing himself for a verbal assault that wasn't about to come from me. I touched his cheek gently with my other hand.   
"I love you, too."   
"Cool." He said, relieved, his face turning a bright shade of pink. I gave him a gentle kiss on the lips only to be responded to hungrily. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and I stood in Maria's driveway sadly after he pulled away. I turned slowly and walked up to Maria's doorstep and before I could knock, she opened the door.   
"Hey there! Are you okay?" She asked me. I looked up at her, tears falling down my cheeks. "What?"  
"He told me he loves me."   
"And you're crying about this? Allow me to take a moment to smack some sense into you. Seriously, though, that's really awesome. Why are you so upset?"  
"I love him, too."  
"Excuse me for not following why these tears are making an appearance in the house where the 'my dog died' look isn't allowed." She told me. "You two are definitely made for each other."  
We settled in to eat some breakfast and watch some old WWF matches Maria had collected on video when we came across one of Jason's old Brood matches.   
"Can I watch this?" I asked. She paused the video.   
"It depends. Will the puddle on my floor be drool or tears?"  
"No more tears. I promise."   
"Okay then." She replied with a slight giggle, unpausing the video. "When's the next time you see him?" She asked me a couple moments later. She looked up to catch me staring at Christian in that gothic outfit he used to wear. "Dammit, Donna, don't make me smack you today!" She joked.  
"I'd like to see you try, but that man right there... he can touch me any way he wants." She sat back in her chair and looked at me in a very devilish way.  
"Innocent no more, I see."   
"Well, thanks to your whipped cream and dice!"  
"You chose to think about them after the fact. I don't control what you think about. So what's his 'Droopy Dog' story?"   
"What?"  
"Why did he look like his dog died yesterday? Do you know?"  
"Yes."  
"Can you tell me?"  
"Only if you'll put in the WWF's T.L.C. video."  
"Okay, fine."  
"Swear to me that you won't put what I'm about to tell you in the news story. It's private and pretty painful."  
"I swear." So as we watched the video, I told her.   
"The other night out at the ring, he spilled it and he was so heartbroken and emotional."   
"Aww...damn." She mumbled. "I would be, too." She continued, seeing him on the screen, which was muted so we could talk. "How could she hurt him like that? Hell, how could she stand to hurt him at all? He looks so innocent. More so than you, even."  
"Oh, thanks a lot." I told her sarcastically.  
"I try my best." She laughed. "Seriously though, what a bitch."  
"I know." I replied, touching my necklace gently.  
After a few minutes, Maria looked at me. "Let's go get your pictures developed, dammit!"  
"Okay."  
We went to Wal-Mart's one-hour service and shopped a little while we waited. All of the photos came out great. I stared at the ones involving me, Chris and Jay, then kept flipping. I reluctantly handed them to Maria.  
"Oops...what are those doing in there?" She said after a couple of moments. I looked over at her.  
"What?"  
She held them to her chest proudly. "Nope!"  
"Come on Marie! What did I miss?"  
She laughed wickedly, then showed me what she was looking at. "You've gotta love zoom cameras." She caught a photo of Jay and I dancing, one of our first kiss, and a really good close one of us looking into each other's eyes and smiling. I had the proof I desired.   
"Yeah, you do. You took these with your camera."  
"Got them done way early yesterday." She said slowly, eyeing my necklace. "New?"  
"Yeah. Jay gave it to me."  
"Damn, girl. I have Hardy Boy connections now, but nothing like this." She said. "Very nice. ‘Angel’...with the price tag that probably accompanied this, I'd have to say that's exactly how he sees you."  
"I told him not to treat me like a princess."  
"And treat you like Brad did? Hell, being spoiled is perfectly okay as long as you spoil him in return. Keep the whipped cream and dirty dice in mind and you'll be home free." I laughed at her for a second or two, then nodded as I looked at the photos once again. All were going up on my wall, enlarged and framed when I got home. When we got back to Maria's, we settled in to watch SmackDown! Marie pressed record. I yawned, seeing the Undertaker/Triple-H feud continue. _Same old, same old,_ I thought, watching with no interest whatsoever. My eyes drifted over to the pictures Maria had given me. When I heard Edge's music, I looked up at the screen. "Oh, here we go. Get out the mop!" Maria giggled. Here came Edge down the ramp dressed in a Tampa Bay jersey, with Christian in tow, wearing a windbreaker over something he was wearing, both of them grinning like total lunatics. Amongst the smile, Christian reached up and touched his necklace.  
"I gave him that." I told Maria proudly.  
"Nice." She replied in approval.  
"Now why is Edge wearing that rag? Geez, Adam!" I cried. To my surprise and joy, Christian took the mic, not Edge.  
"Greetings to all of our fans in Tampa Bay!" Christian said proudly to the entourage of boos that came from the crowd. The smile only got broader as he nodded.   
"God, what a goofball, but what in the hell is up with that jacket he’s wearing?" Maria asked, referring to the windbreaker.   
"I think he's wearing a Panthers jersey."  
"You'd like it if he wasn't wearing a shirt at all."  
I feigned yawning. "Been there, seen that."   
"Shut up." She told me with a laugh. I giggled.   
"We appreciate and admire your total loyalty to your Buccaneers, your Devil Rays and especially your minor league hockey team you all follow called the Lightning."  
"Ooh, if your boyfriend dies tonight, just to let you know, I'm not helping you with the expenses."  
"Uh, Christian? They're an NHL team." Edge pointed out, a wicked grin on his face.   
"I know that, but well, with the whole two games they win every season-- that being the first game and the last game of every season -- they might as well be in the minors!" Christian laughed. Now nothing _but_ boos came from the crowd. "Even our programs manage to sell out without the help of NASCAR night or Pokémon night for kids."   
"Yeah..." Edge laughed. "What's up with that? Pikachu plays hockey now?"  
"They need all the help they can get, I guess, considering that inanimate card characters are just as good as the players they really have on the team!"  
"Nothing like pushing the envelope, huh?" Maria giggled. I was hysterical with laughter.  
"So, for the benefit of those with flash photography, we have a totally new five-second pose."  
"Oh, boy..." Michael Cole sighed, trying hid damnedest not to laugh. He couldn't hold the laughter back anymore when Christian dramatically removed his jacket to reveal a Florida Panthers Pavel Bure jersey. That was it. I lost it over that.  
"You're missing it, Donna!"   
"We call this one 'Struck Down'!" Christian laughed. He moved around to the other side of the ring as if he had a hockey stick and faced Edge while getting ready to shoot an imaginary puck, as Edge stood around in the Lightning's gear -- and I do mean stood -- looking around and drinking from a water bottle. Christian pretended to shoot the puck and Edge feigned shock as Christian jumped around, then the two pretended to get into a fistfight and Edge fell to the mat. Christian put a foot on Edge's chest and made some sort of silly muscle-builder pose and froze it for a few seconds much to the crowd's displeasure as some people took some pictures of the pose. "Thank you, thank you." He told the crowd with a goofy grin, reaching up to touch the necklace again.   
"Your boyfriend's definitely a ham."  
"I noticed."  
"And as far as that necklace goes, either it's bothering him, or he's thinking of you."  
"He's thinking of me." I told her, slightly insulted.  
"I thought so. I'm just joking." We watched the rest of the show and no sooner did the show go off the air than the phone rang. Maria put on the speakerphone. "Hello?"  
"Hi, is this Maria?" Questioned the shy male voice.  
"Hi, Jay. Hold on. Go ahead, take over." She told me. I picked up the receiver.  
"Hey, Jason...loved it, taped it, and will be taking it home with me. You really looked like you were enjoying yourself out there."  
"I was...I really was!" We talked for quite a while that night. After I finally hung up the phone, I collected my stuff and Maria took me back to my stepdad's house. She followed me up to the door and gave me a hug.   
"I wish we could hang out some more and you didn't have to go home so soon. I miss hanging out like we have the past couple of days."  
"Me too, considering every last one of my friends lives here in Florida."  
"Well, I'll email you and call and stuff, so it's not so bad, and you had better keep me updated on you and Jay, or I'll call Amy, Matt and Jeff and find out for myself." She laughed.  
"Thanks so much for an unforgettable vacation, Marie."  
"You're welcome. And since Armageddon is up there in Detroit next month, get a good kick in for me to Kate's side. She deserves it."  
"Damn straight." I told her as she walked back to her car.  
"And remember the dirty dice and the whipped cream."  
"How could I forget? You keep reminding me!" I laughed. We said our goodbyes and I walked inside.  
My vacation was officially over.


	10. Chapter Ten

## Chapter 10

After the week I had, work was the absolute last thing on my mind. Bringing some freshly scanned copies of the photos with me, I walked confidently into my job. I was greeted by my coworkers and as I proudly showed off some of my pictures, in walked Erin. It seemed like everything I liked, she hated. I began to wonder if she hated me without even knowing anything about me. She shot me a dirty look...or was it my shirt she was glaring at? Needless to say, I was indeed wearing my Edge and Christian shirt. I laughed at this.   
"Good morning, Hardy Boyz fan." I laughed.  
"Yeah, right. Welcome back." She grumbled. "Damn, that shirt is revolting." I laughed again.  
"I got to meet them on my vacation."  
"Oh, lucky you."  
"Lighten up. Here." I told her, shoving my photos at her. She flipped through them and stopped at the candid ones.  
"How'd you get these?" She asked. I explained as she continued to look at them. "They're nice." She stopped again and looked at the photos of me and Jay.   
"I love them. He's such a sweetheart."  
"No wonder you like him so much."  
I laughed a little.   
"Actually, he made the moves on me before the show, then after is when those pictures took place."  
"Gonna see him again?"  
“You really need to ask?" I said pointedly.  
"Alright, I admit it, stupid question. So, did you see him after these pictures were taken?"  
"Spent two days with him." Her eyes widened. I had her hooked.  
"And?"  
"And?" I laughed. "And nothing too extreme happened, just some mild stuff."  
"Lucky you." She told me again, meaning it this time.  
"Welcome back." Said a husky male voice behind me.   
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I replied, trying not to come off as creeped out as I was. Charles Donovan...blond hair in a crew cut, green eyes and wishing he could get any girl he wanted just by simply snapping his fingers. I desperately wanted to get him a tattoo across his forehead that literally said either 'LOSER' or 'PIG'. Erin looked at me.  
"I'll talk to you later." She said, handing my pictures back to me. "I’m anxious to hear more."  
"Okay." I told her and walked toward my desk as Chucky followed me like the dog he was. "Don't you have something better to do, Charlie?" I questioned, glaring at him as he walked around to the other side of my desk and faced me. I clutched my photos to my chest.   
"How was your vacation?" He asked, avoiding my question entirely.  
"If I tell you it sucked royally, will you go away?"  
"You'd be lying to me. What fun is that?"  
"It would certainly make my day a little quieter."  
"So, how was it?" He pressed.  
"Great. And you know why it was great? Because you weren't there bothering me."  
"Oh, you know you missed me. Come on."  
"Time for you to go away." I told him pointedly. He laughed at my comment. "I'm not joking, Chucky." He turned and walked away, laughing as he did so.  
I proceeded to remove the majority of my pictures from my desk to replace them with the ones everyone had been flipping through.  
"Hey Don! How was your trip?" Asked Anthony, who was one of my favorite people to work with. I smiled, motioning to the pictures.  
"Totally excellent!"  
"Who is that? Jericho and Christian?"  
"Yeah."  
"And you with...Christian?" He asked happily, looking from the photo to me. “You’re an item? For real?”  
"Yeah." I repeated.   
"You go on, girl! That is great!"  
"Thank you."  
"Those are some sweet pictures. Looks like you really enjoyed being with him. Are you gonna see him again?" I showed him my necklace. "‘Angel’...aww, that's cool. For such a jerk on TV, he seems pretty sweet, and appears to be treating you right. At least, he had better be treating you right!”  
"He has a great heart, Tony. I'm telling you, when you meet him, you'll think he's great."  
"When?"  
"Well, since he's my boyfriend, it's safe to say you'll meet him eventually." I told him slowly.   
"You miss him already."  
"Yeah, I do." I confessed. We talked about my vacation for a while and then Tony had to get to work. Near the end of the day, I tried to get some things ready for morning. I had one last thing to get out of the back. I walked confidently to the back of the shop, toying with my necklace as I searched for what I needed. When I found it, I grabbed it and spun around to leave. There stood Charlie, right behind me. I jumped because I didn’t expect him to be there.  
"How come you didn't tell me everything you told Anthony?" He snarled.  
"Well, to be perfectly honest with you, I don't like the way you creep around here. What you just did is a prime example. Now, please—" He grabbed my arm tightly. "Let me go, Charlie, you're hurting me!"  
"So you have a boyfriend now? Some pansy wrestler who can't act or wrestle or speak like a normal person?"  
"I have a boyfriend, yes."  
“Some idiot who's supposedly had his head beat in by one too many chairs?"  
"No." I told him angrily, trying to pry my arm from his painful grip, which became even tighter.   
"Did you kiss him? Spend lots of time with him?”  
"What is it to you? Dammit, let go of me!"  
"How much do you love him? Enough to be faithful to him while he's on the road?"  
"Yes! Now let go of me! You're hurting my arm, dammit!"   
"Donna, phone call, line two." Erin's voice told me over the P.A. system. I finally managed to yank my arm out of his grip and run full speed to a cubicle up in the front of the shop.  
"Hello?" I said, trying to control my tears. That encounter really frightened me. It reminded me way too much of Brad. It was borderline triggering. My voice was shaking.  
"Hi Donna." Came Jay's soothing voice.  
"Oh, Jason, thank god it's you!" I wailed.   
"Angel, what is it?"  
"I--I...he..."  
"Calm down, Angel. It's okay." He told me. "Is there a problem at work?"  
"Yes."  
"With who?"  
"A coworker."  
"Donna, if there's a problem, should I fly up there?" He asked me. I was extremely shaken, not to mention torn. "Donna, I'll do it in a heartbeat. What happened?" I was terrified. So much in fact, that I remained silent out of fear that he was creeping around nearby to hear what I was saying on the phone, and that silence was scaring the hell out of him. "Dammit, Donna!" He cried, trying to get my attention. So I spilled it all to him over the phone really fast. He didn’t know about Bradley and the reason behind why such an encounter had scared me so much. "I'm coming up there to straighten this out--"  
"No, Jason. I can handle it."  
"Donna, it took me yelling at you to speak to me. I don't want to do that. You were too scared to even talk." He told me. "Listen, Angel...can you get home okay and I can talk to you more then?"  
"Yeah."  
"Okay. Talk to you soon. I love you."  
"I love you, too." I hung up quietly. Then I ran to my desk, grabbed my purse and left for the day.

********

Jay called on my line shortly after I arrived home.   
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah." I mumbled.  
"Did he act like this before your vacation?"  
"Not like this. He grabbed my arm tightly and refused to let go."  
"What did he say to you?"  
"He asked me some pretty private questions, including if I could be faithful to you while you’re on the road."  
"Is there some kind of history with you two?”  
“No way. He’s just creepy.”  
“Sounds to me like he's stalking you, Donna. You can get him fired for something like that."  
"He used to be harmless. I don't know what happened."  
"It could be that he found out that you have a boyfriend and seeing that has made him jealous." He pointed out to me. "I have RAW tonight and a road show Wednesday night in Boston. I can come up there tomorrow if you want."  
"Jay..." I told him. I didn’t want him going out of his way for me.  
"I will not have him putting his hands on you. He needs to be put in his place, apparently." Part of me wanted him to come up here and straighten Charlie out, and part of me didn't. I sighed.  
"Jay, I love you and you know that. I just don't want you coming up here and getting yourself in trouble."  
"Donna, it could get worse if I don't come up there and confront this jerk. Besides, I won't get myself in trouble. No steel chairs will be involved, I swear!" He joked, making me laugh.  
"Jay, I'll be fine." I insisted. The silence that followed indicated that he was either pouting or fuming on the other end of the line.  
"House show on Wednesday, SmackDown! and Heat on Thursday, the weekend's booked with house shows, then it's RAW again. Donna, please let me help you to straighten this out!"  
"As much as I'd love to see you, it's not necessary for me to have a bodyguard at work."  
"I'll send Dennis up there to have him look for his clothes!"  
I laughed again. "I thought you loved me and now you're gonna torture me with the thought of Mr. Streaky running around my job? No thanks!"  
We steered clear of Charlie and his being a pig and I stared up at my wall where my Edge and Christian poster now hung, framed right beside my Jericho poster. After we hung up, I settled in to watch RAW, then fell asleep.

********

The dream I had was one I've had many times in the past two years. It started out dark and I was walking around in the WWF ring as somebody turned on some eerie red lights like the ones once used for the Brood. I sat down on the apron and stared out at the empty seats. All of a sudden, there was a movement somewhere along the shadows behind the seats. Slow movement, like a person walking along the wall.  
"Hello?" I called to the figure, who stopped. "Can you come out of the shadows so I can see your face?" The dark figure shook its head slowly, then raised something that was in its hand to its face.  
"I've been watching you for a long time." The figure told me, his voice in a mumble.  
"You have? Why?"  
"Because you're beautiful." He told me. "You're a follower, Donna. You have been following me for a very long time."  
"How could I follow you when I don't know who you are?"  
"You know very well who I am." He told me, stepping slightly into the red glow that filled the room. I recognized Christian's gothic wardrobe immediately. My mouth dropped. "The name is Christian, m'lady." He greeted me. I was astounded, at a loss for words. He lifted his head slowly, stepping the rest of the way out of the shadows. Beautiful from head to toe: his long blond hair fell around his shoulders and his sunglasses covered his eyes. He wore two necklaces, one being his Brood symbol, and the other something I couldn't quite make out from where I was, but both easily shown off by the dip in his white shirt from it being better than halfway unbuttoned. It rested untucked from his black leather pants and his black wrestling boots finished off the look. My eyes took in the sight before me, roaming for a good while. He entered the ring like he used to, sliding in underneath the ropes on his hands and knees and I just continued to stare at him. He was more than welcome to dress like that whenever he damn well pleased.   
He crawled over to me slowly and kissed me, the energy between us full of passion and hunger. I put my arms around his neck and laid back on the mat, staring up at him. He shook his head slowly, going back to kissing me. He slipped his hands beneath my shirt and I made no effort whatsoever to stop him. I wanted him to put his hands on me. I didn't mind being the lone person to find him to be the hottest guy in the federation. I didn't care that he was the center of my world. I loved him, and it was right….

********

"Damn you! I hate you!" I screamed at the alarm clock, throwing a stuffed toy at it, sending it to the floor. "He was almost mine!" I rolled over and sobbed out of frustration. Again. Every single time I have that dream, that stupid clock wakes me up or my body decides it's time to wake up. I got up angrily and got ready for work, now in a very bad mood. "One time -- one night when I get all the way done with that dream! Too much to ask!" I cried. I drove to work slowly. I was greeted by my coworker Janie, who chatted with me for a while about my vacation, then I walked over to my desk and started to work, my dream on my mind. I jumped when Anthony said hello to me. "Hey, Tony."  
"Donna? What's that?" He questioned, looking at my arm where Charlie had grabbed me the day before.  
"I hurt my arm outside when I got home." I mumbled. Tony frowned. I knew that look of disbelief far too well, as I’d seen it by many down south while I dated Bradley.   
"Okay. So, did you hear from your boyfriend?"  
"Yeah." I told him happily. "He wanted to come up here because today is his only day off for probably about two weeks and I told him no."  
"You crazy girl? Your boyfriend wants to go out of his way to visit you and you don't want him to?"  
"I never said I didn't want him to."  
"You'd see him for a day..."  
"And then he'd have to leave again." I finished sadly.  
"Aww, girl. I'm sorry."  
"Not your fault." I said, seeing Charlie walk in the door slowly. "It's the fed's fault for being so popular." I laughed.  
"I'll see you later. I'd better get to work."  
"Same here."  
I turned on my radio and decided not to let Charlie's lurking around bother me. I danced and jammed my way two hours into the workday. When I noticed this fact, I also noticed a presence right behind me. My hands shook. "Please back away from me." I told the presence in a shaky voice. He stepped back a step. "Alright, let me tell you something--!” I stopped suddenly, looking up into a pair of deep blue eyes. It wasn't Charlie.  
There stood Jay with a rose in his hand. Behind him stood Matt Hardy, smiling and waving. Tears filled my eyes and I just stared.   
"One thing you _have_ to know about me, Angel. I don't listen to voices of reason very well when someone I care about is in trouble." I threw my arms around his neck, suddenly very emotional.   
"Hi!" Once I calmed down, I looked at Matt and gave him a small hug. "Hi, Matt."   
"Hey Donna." He replied in his slight southern accent.  
"How'd you find this place?"  
"You'd be amazed what computers and an address can do." Jay told me. I backed away and looked him in the eyes. "Here. This is for you." He told me, handing me the long-stemmed red rose. I smiled, tears filling my eyes again and overflowing this time. I told him he didn't have to come and he came anyway. I was so happy. "Hey now, what's this? None of that...” He told me, wiping the tears from my eyes gently with his fingers.   
"You're sick. Go home." Janie told me. I looked over at her.  
"No, I'm--"  
"Yes you are." She insisted with a wink.  
"Okay..."  
Charlie walked around the corner and approached us. What nerve. I hugged Jay tightly.  
"Hey, Donna?" Jay questioned, looking from me to Charlie. "Is that him?"  
"Yeah." I whispered. "Please Jay, don't--"  
"Hey! So, Donna, this is your boyfriend, huh? I'm Charlie, and you are?"  
"Jason. Listen, Charlie. Yesterday when I called, I heard something that I never expected to hear, and it was in Donna's voice the entire time I was talking to her on the phone. And knowing it was put there by you, well, just doesn't sit well with me. I heard fear in her voice. I called here, expecting to hear my girlfriend happy to be back home and I get someone on this end who's too terrified to even talk to me, and when she did talk, her voice was shaky and filled with tears. Total terror, and you know what else?" He looked down at my arm and held it out for Charlie to see. "I heard -- and see -- that you actually put your hands on her. You grabbed her arm and asked her questions about her and I? Now, correct me if I'm wrong, " He continued, putting my arm back around him where it was, "but you have no right whatsoever to touch her, and even less rights to ask those types of questions." He wasn't angry or anything. Just saying what was on his mind, and it was some strong stuff. "She is _my_ girlfriend. That means -- and I'm sure you're at least smart enough to figure this out, but I'm probably giving you too much credit as it is -- hands _off._ Plain and simple. Every way possible. Do _not_ touch my girlfriend. Do _not_ stalk her around this place or anywhere else. Do _not_ pry for information she doesn't care to share with you, because if I call up here to a similar situation, you will be eating out of a straw for the next two years." He told him.  
"Figures something like that would come from a wrestler. No brains and no talent run rampant." Charlie laughed. Jay clenched his jaw.  
"Let it go, Jay. Man, don't get into it. Just let it go." Matt told his friend, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Do you want to spend time in jail or with Donna? Come on, man. You told him off, now leave it alone."  
"Jay, please? Come on."  
"Fine."  
"I have two other people I actually _want_ you guys to meet before we leave." I said, taking them to meet Tony, then Erin. After meeting them and talking with them for a bit, Jay and I got into my car, and Matt followed close behind in the rental car. "Thank you." I told him, putting a hand on his leg. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it gently.  
"You're welcome. Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything, Angel."  
"I can see why." He told me softly, referring to the bruise on my arm. He sat back in his seat and sighed. "Next time -- and I hope there isn't one -- just haul off."  
"He really startled me yesterday." I mumbled.  
"Angel, I love you and it kills me to see you afraid of this jerk." I pulled into the driveway and hugged him.  
"I love you too."   
"With being on the road all the time, I can't be around to hold you and touch you and take care of you like I should, but I want to do my best when I can." I tightened my embrace, then we got out of the car and walked inside.  
"Hi mom."  
"Hi honey. You're home early...are you feeling okay?" She said, turning around to face us. "I guess so. This must be Jason. Hi. I'm Donna's mother, Michelle. Have a seat." So, we sat. Matt and Jay in chairs, and Jay pulling me onto his lap after he shook hands with my mom.  
"Mom, this is Matt."  
"Hi Matt, nice to meet you."  
"Same here, ma'am." He told her, exchanging handshakes with her.  
"Hey mom, me and Jake are going to the mall -- hey sis, and friends -- and we --" He glanced over at us, then really looked. "Whoa!" He exclaimed as Jake came up behind him.  
"Matt, Jason, this is my eighteen-year-old brother Danny and his best friend Jake. Guys, I'm sure you both recognize Matt Hardy and Jason Reso."  
"Hell yeah! Cool!" The boys said, shaking hands with the WWF stars. It was going to be an interesting day.


	11. Chapter Eleven

## Chapter 11

After a while of talking to the boys, I pulled Jay up to my room because he wanted to talk to me in private. Once there, I locked the door and he inspected my arm gently.  
"I won't be as nice to him next time. I hope you realize that."  
"I do." He reached up and touched my hair, then pulled me into his arms.  
"Your room is nice." He observed, looking at the pictures of me and my friends, of all the federation superstars, of hockey stars and finally, the ones Maria had given me. I laughed slightly.  
"Well, I kinda--"  
"Same pictures that are on your desk at work." He observed even closer. "Any chance your boyfriend can get copies?" He asked, pressing my body closer to his and kissing me softly.  
"Yeah..." I told him. I sat beside him on my bed as he continued to kiss me. I could feel the chills from head to toe as I felt my head hit the pillow and his weight on top of me. With every kiss and every touch he gave me, I could sense my dream drawing closer and closer to reality. Closer to the part that was always cut from the final scene no matter what I tried to do to stay asleep.  
He kissed my neck gently as I pulled off his shirt and tossed it somewhere on the side of the bed. Upon feeling his hands slip beneath my shirt for real, I gasped suddenly. He immediately sat up and held up his hands. "Sorry, Angel." His apology was met by me taking his hands in mine and placing them back where they had been, then kissing him gently on the lips and pulling him back down on top of me. As I paid attention to how his body was reacting to what we were doing, it became apparent to me right then that he didn't need Maria's little toys to have fun. He pulled my shirt off of me, then looked deeply into my eyes.  
"I love you." I told him.  
"Do you want to do this? Are you sure? I love you too, Angel, but I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."  
"Are you sure that _you’re_ not asking yourself that?" I asked, allowing myself to give a moment's worth of thought to Jay catching that megabitch Kathrine in bed while he stood there with things indicating that he'd planned on spending the rest of his life with her. My heart crumbled at the mere thought, so I pushed it out of my mind. His hesitancy indicated that he was indeed asking himself that very question. "I'd love nothing more than to share this activity with you right now, Jay. I feel fine with it. Now the question remains: do you feel ready or is that cheating little wench going to ruin it for you? And if she's not, the next question at hand is, are you ready to take this relationship to the next level?" He responded by nuzzling my neck lovingly. His breath on my neck gave me chills.  
"I'm fine with it." He murmured, kissing my neck. Not even five minutes later, there was a knock on the door.  
"What is it? We'll be down shortly!" I told the mystery person. Let's just say that the real thing was a million times better than the fantasy and leave it at that. I kissed him hungrily on the lips afterward, then looked him in the eyes and smiled.  
"I bet they think we forgot all about them." He told me with a slight laugh as he rested his head on my chest.  
"Oh well." I told him, running my fingers through his long blond hair. We did eventually get up and dressed, making our way downstairs.  
"So, tell me something. Did you inspect her arm close enough?" Matt asked his friend, raising an eyebrow and smiling. He knew what had ended up going on. Jay cleared his throat and looked at the floor, a shy grin crossing his face.  
"Yeah. That was you at the door, wasn't it?" Jay questioned in a mumble, his words rushed out of embarrassment.  
"I'll admit it, yes, that was me." He confessed, winking at me. He clearly wanted Jay and I to spend some time alone together. That's what Maria told me on IM the night before after RAW was over and she had spoken to Matt, Jeff and Amy. Maria gave me information that they had told her to give me.

_'He talks about you constantly in the locker room.'  
'He does?'  
'I told you, Donna...I have good friends who are also good connections now. I can keep good tabs on you and him, too.'  
'What else?'  
'They said he enjoys hamming it up out there now and he credits you for it.'  
'He shouldn't.'  
'He does. Donna, I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you struck a chord in him that everybody's saying hasn't been struck like that before. They told me that Edge and Jericho see it the most.'  
'Somehow, I believe that.'_

"So the next time we get in the ring together, I get a free chair shot on you, right?"  
Matt thought about this for a moment, then shook his head and laughed.  
"Uh, no."  
Jay reached over and smacked Matt playfully on the shoulder. "Come on man, it won't hurt."  
"The hell it won't!" He laughed.  
"That's right...it won't. Isn't that what I just said?" They decided to wrestle a little on the couch as I stood there and shook my head.  
"Now, children!" I laughed. They finally settled down and we decided on something to do: go ice skating. So that’s where we headed. Jay, the only Canadian and once-wannabe hockey player out of the three of us, stepped out on to the ice first. He did an easy lap around the rink, then stopped in front of us and held his hands out to me. I'd only been ice skating twice in my life and it was very different from rollerblading or roller skating, which I'd been doing rather questionably since I was four.  
"Afraid?" He questioned, sensing my reluctance to step out on the ice.  
"Nah." I responded, trying to sound brave.  
"Come on, then." He urged me. "I won't let you fall, Angel. I promise." He took my hands and led me out to the ice. He looked at Matt. "Matt, what's with you? Mister-jump-off-ladders-get-put-through-tables-risk-my-life is afraid to get out on the ice?"  
"No."  
"Then get out here."  
"Man, shut up." He replied, stepping cautiously and concentrating heavily on his being wobbly on the skates below him.  
"Must...concentrate intensely...on...walking...one foot, two feet...dammit, how in the hell do you use these suckers?" Jay joked, mocking how Matt was walking on his skates instead of skating in them.  
"When you least expect it, Jay, you'll get what's coming to you." Matt responded in a slightly sarcastic tone.  
"Ooh...I'm scared," He replied, his voice still mocking. "but with all due respect, I’m not the one literally shaking in my skates."  
"Hahahaha. Laugh now, smartass, 'cause you won't be able to later on."  
Jay laughed as Matt stepped onto the ice. I was laughing at the exchange just enough to knock myself off balance. I reached for the wall out of pure instinct, but grabbed air instead. I braced myself for the impact I was about to have with the ice when I felt someone catch me halfway down. I looked up into Jay's blue eyes. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall." He told me reassuringly.  
"Thank you, Jay. A sore butt is the last thing I need when I go back to work tomorrow."  
"Nope. Can't have that." He replied, looking away as a wicked little grin found its way to his lips. He helped me back to my feet, then we were on our way around the rink again. Matt, who was a few feet ahead of us, was still feeling out his skates. Jason nodded toward him. "Great guy, great friend, but for being the daredevil he is, he obviously can't skate worth a damn." Jason joked, making me laugh again.  
"Don't make me laugh, dammit! That's what made me lose my balance the first time!" I told him, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. He reached down and tickled my side, causing me to squeal with laughter. "Stop! You're going to make me fall!" I begged, laughing hysterically. He stopped and wrapped his arms around me gently.  
"At least you won't be the first one out of the three of us to fall." He told me as we skated up to a befuddled Matt Hardy, who now sat on the ice. "You know, Matt, this really isn't the most luxurious place to be taking a breather." He looked up at us and scowled.  
"Oh really? What ever gave you that idea?" He questioned in a sarcastic tone as we helped him to his feet.  
"Seriously, Matt, would you like some help?" Jay offered. Matt didn't know whether or not to believe him.  
"Sure. I guess so."  
As the lesson progressed, Matt did get a little better. I lagged behind and watched them. They were enjoying the unscheduled day off of the road and I was seeing a very playful side of Jay emerge. One I didn't get to see in Florida. He finally let Matt skate on his own which allowed me to catch up to him. He took my hand in his.  
"He's doing better. You're a good teacher."  
"Well, he's still skating like Herman Munster, but his problem is that he's not relaxing on the skates." He told me. "However, you are correct about him doing better."  
After a couple more songs, we hit the snack bar. When we sat down with our food, Jason noticed me tugging on the sleeve of my Dallas Stars jersey. Feeling his eyes fixed on me, I looked up at him. "What?"  
He pressed his lips together and wrapped his arms around my shoulders.  
"I hope he never touches you again. I wish I could be here to protect you all the time."  
"I might go back to working with kids. Charlie is one of the boss' favorites. I can't feel safe there if he's gonna try stuff like this." I told him, resting my head on his chest.  
"Try?" He questioned, pulling at my sleeve to reveal a little bit of my bruise. I pulled it back down, feeling awkward about the bruise entirely. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea because someone else decided to be a jerk. I was well-versed in the looks and the judgment.  
"We're in public, Jay."  
"So what? I'm not the one who did that."  
"Can I eat, or are you gonna be fixated on my arm all day? We had a wonderful morning. Please don't ruin it."  
"Fine." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll let it go."  
"Thank you." I looked him in the eyes a couple minutes later after I had taken a few bites of my sandwich. "What now?"  
"I'm concerned about you. That's why I'm here. It killed me to hear your voice so frightened over the phone, so I caught the first flight out after the match last night!"  
"Now you're mad at me? You did that on your own, Jay. I told you that you didn’t have to come."  
"I love you so much, Donna! I really do. If you don't believe me, then--"  
"You showed me how much you love me earlier today. Trust me, I can feel how much you love me." I told him, touching his inner thigh. Matt's eyes widened, then he looked down at his lunch as if to say 'whoa.' Jay, suddenly shy, turned beet red, as he tried his damnedest not to smile because of his being slightly upset with me.  
"Damn it." He cursed, looking toward the ceiling, then down at me. I moved up a little further and tightened my grip a little. That was it. Angry no more. He looked at me, his face still glowing a bright pink. "Bad girl."  
"Are you gonna spank me?" I asked suggestively, a devilish side of me shining through that I never knew I had. Matt coughed loudly, that one taking him entirely by surprise. Jay raised his eyebrows at me, a surprisingly wicked grin crossing his face.  
"Not a bad idea." He told me, playing along. "You're definitely no angel today." An evil laugh came from me.  
"I think I can easily bump Terri out of the number one spot for horniest little she-devil."  
"No doubt."  
Matt cleared his throat, smiling and nodding toward his food. "Can I eat or do I have to sit here and damn near choke to death on this food because of your suggestive little conversation?"  
"Okay, hold on for a second here. Let me get this straight. You all need permission from me to eat your lunch? What am I? The lunch god or something?" Jay laughed. "Yes, both of you may eat. Don't let me stop you."  
"You're asking for it today, Jason. You really are." Matt said lightly before taking another bite of his sandwich.  
"Heh."  
"Oh wow. I must put that in my book of outstanding comebacks so I can use it too. 'Heh'...what a winner." Matt told him.  
"One in your court, smartass."  
"You sure have some lip now. Donna, what the hell did you do with our quiet Jason Reso? A little over a week ago, he'd talk, but not like he is now. Jay, would you talk to your momma like that?" Jay arched an eyebrow.  
"Wouldn't dream of it. She wouldn't like it at all if I did."  
"Yeah, I'm sure she wouldn't." We finished eating and then Jay leaned over and kissed my neck softly, slowly making his way up to my ear.  
"Don't you two have skating to do?" Matt laughed.  
"Nah." Jay replied, his lips finding mine.  
"Fine. Just don't forget where you are." He replied, walking away. Jay leaned over to whisper in my ear.  
"I want to take you home and make you forget all of your fears and worries, m'lady." He told me. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes.  
"What made you call me that?"  
"Old character switch. I thought you'd like it."  
"You have no idea _how_ much."  
"Why is that?"  
"Do you ever fantasize? Stupid girlie question, I know, but--" He cupped my chin in his hands, holding my stare.  
"Yes."  
I blinked. "You...you do?"  
"Yes." He repeated.  
"Then I'm not some kind of freak."  
"Do you?" He asked me.  
"Yeah." I confessed, breaking the stare. He ran his thumb along my cheekbone gently.  
"What about?"  
"It's stupid, really."  
"I'm sure I'd think otherwise."  
My cheeks grew pink with embarrassment. "I write about the dream I have. It's been the same one for almost the past year, since I started watching and since I first saw you wrestle." I went on to tell him the fantasy.  
"You write about them?" He asked, intrigued.  
"Jay, you don't want to read my stuff. My writing sucks. I don't let anyone read them." He pouted.  
"I do so want to read it. Please?"  
"Jay, they really suck."  
"Let me be the judge! An author is always their own worst critic."  
I sighed, realizing that this was one battle I wasn't going to win. They were fairly deep-feeling stories, and pretty sexual in nature.  
"Ever read romance novels?"  
"Nope."  
"Watch one of those nasty, dirty movies?" He arched an eyebrow. "Say no more. Maria would be disappointed to know that you're not as innocent as you look. Regardless, my stories are like that, only they have a little more storyline to them." I told him. He laughed. "What?"  
"How do I 'look' innocent?"  
"I don't know." I replied with a giggle. "She said that, and then said you look more innocent than me."  
"Meanwhile, _she_ suggests dirty dice," He said, kissing my neck gently, "and whipped cream."  
"You haven't forgotten."  
"Oh no...." He replied, his breath brushing my neck before his lips followed suit again. I smiled broadly in response to his advances. We cleaned up our table then we walked through the double glass doors that led out to the rink and up to the space that allowed those with skates to roam freely on and off the ice. Jay spotted Matt out on the ice and proceeded to comment. "Perhaps those skates are made with cement or lead. He makes them look like they weigh a ton." I laughed, smacking his shoulder again.  
"You're ruthless, Jason Reso. Leave the poor guy alone. He's trying."  
"Can't blame him for that."  
Matt finally skated up and looked at us.  
"So?"  
"So what?"  
"Everything okay?"  
"It was all okay when you left the table." Jay laughed, giving Matt a questioning look. "However, things are much better now."  
"Good enough." Matt replied, shaking his head. We skated until the end of the session, then we sat in my car about a half hour afterward, wondering what to do next. We decided upon the mall for lack of options. It was way too cold to do anything outside.  
Jay tried to buy things for me, and I caught him several times.  
"Put it back." I reprimanded lightly each time I caught him. He really didn't have to feel the need to waste his money on me, and I was bound and determined to make that point very clear. After what was probably the eighth time, I put my hand on his arm and turned him around to face me. "I hope you're not insulted that I'm telling you not to buy me things, but I know where it stems from and you seem to keep forgetting that I'm not Kathrine. I don't need material things to make me happy. I have you and what you gave me this morning was far better than anything you could ever buy me."  
"But--"  
I raised my eyebrows sternly. "No."  
"Okay, fine."  
We walked into Spencer's and memories of Maria and her suggestions came to mind. Jay wandered off, leaving me alone to look at the posters.  
"Donna?" Matt said behind me. I glanced at him.  
"Yeah?"  
"I don't know how much Maria told you because I haven't been in touch with Amy nor Jeff since Jay and I left last night, but I know that you are all he's thinking about right now. You have absolutely no idea how depressed he was. I'm telling you what, though, I'm dreading Armageddon. Next month's event is going to be hell for him. Absolute hell. And pretty much all we can do is sit back and wait, then watch. I know that he'll be relying heavily on your love and support to get him through this, and I thank god he found you. They already signed the contracts. And now this thing with the slimeball at your job has him twisted in knots. I'm not gonna repeat them, but the 'what if' scenarios that came out of him frightened us both. We couldn't make the plane land fast enough. When we walked into your job to see you smiling, dancing and working, Jay looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. I hope you're okay with him coming here against your wishes. He could barely concentrate on the show last night because of this. He didn't know if you were covering up something worse that that guy had done to you or what. I'm going to tell you right now, Donna. Jay's not the least bit violent and he doesn't have an out-of-line temper, but I guarantee you this: had that guy done more to you than what he did, he would have needed a full body cast." Matt continued. "He doesn't deal well with guys hitting or hurting women and children. Not at all. He knows that falls, bumps and hits are part of the business, but if he hurts one of the women without meaning to -- even if it's scripted -- he'll apologize and ask about their injury repeatedly until they take him aside and pretty much tell him to knock it off. He did that to Joanie before, and pretty recently to Amy, because it was scripted that he was supposed to have a little rivalry with her on the side where they'd exchange little blows here and there aside from Jeff and I. She took him aside and told him 'I know you don't mean it, and I appreciate your concern, but just stop it.' "  
"Aww....wow...I didn't know all that."  
"I just wanted you to know that, Donna. He loves you so much."  
"Thanks, Matt." I saw Jay pointing to something in the jewelry case. "I already told him --" Matt touched my arm and I looked at him. The look he returned to me was a serious one.  
"That's the way he is, Donna. Let him. When he's around you, he wants to spoil you."  
"Okay, then. I give up." Matt took his hand off of my arm, then we continued to look at the posters as somebody came up behind me and kissed the nape of my neck.  
"Hi Donna."  
"Hi."  
"Ready to move on?"  
"Yeah." I replied, turning around to give him a bear hug. I couldn't resist. I was totally in love with him and anyone who didn't see that was just blind, stupid or both.

*********

To finish off the day, we went to see a movie. I don't even remember getting through the first preview because frankly, I didn't care. Matt sat five rows ahead of us and watched, but Jay and I sat in the very back of the theater, making out. I had never done a lot of the boyfriend-girlfriend stuff I did with Jay today and it must have read as brightly as a neon sign.  
"First time for a lot of this stuff you and I have done today, huh?"  
"You can tell."  
He nodded silently, then spoke again. "It doesn't matter. I was just pointing out an observation I made way earlier. It doesn't make me love you any less than I do, but I just wanted you to know that that's why I asked if you were okay with it before our activities this morning. When you do something like that, you want to be sure. It's a big step." I nodded and hugged him. I had finally found someone who respected me, and for that, I was extremely grateful. After the make out session, Matt told us about the movie as I drove us back to my house, where we were greeted by my mother and her boyfriend and urged to sit and eat. Both guys were served their dinner and a round of twenty questions by my mother. Needless to say, it made for an interesting meal. As we finished eating, Danny brought down pillows and blankets for Matt as I pulled Jay upstairs with me.  
"Goodnight, you two. Don’t forget to get some sleep, okay?”  
"Goodnight, Matt." Once inside my room, I locked the door and leaned against it, looking at Jason. I smiled suggestively and he pressed my body further against the door with his, then kissed me hungrily. There was no time to talk, but we enjoyed each other without much being said. He rested his head on my chest, trying to calm his labored breathing as I stroked his hair. He moved up and kissed my neck, moved down to my collarbone and back up to my lips. I don't recall exactly when we fell asleep, but I fell into a troubled one.

********

The dream started out like it always did, except that instead of Jay, Charlie stepped out of the shadows.  
"Where's Jay?"  
Charlie didn't answer me, but instead, walked into the ring.  
"He's gone."  
"What do you mean 'he's gone'?"  
"He gave up on you. He told me to go ahead and deal with you the way...I...see...FIT!" He cried, grabbing a fistful of my hair and forcing me down to the mat. I looked up at him, the red lights making his evil face appear all the more devilish, and whimpered in pain.  
"No...no, please!"  
"Come on, Donna! You know you like me. You only liked him because of what he is!" He snarled in my ear, running his free hand up and under my shirt. I tried to move, but his weight restricted me from doing so and I began to cry. "You want it. You want me!"  
"No...nooo!" I sobbed.

*********

"No Charlie! No don't!" I sobbed, sitting up in a cold sweat and clutching the blanket to my chest. Jay touched my arm and I jumped, then looked at him.  
"You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" He asked me, his voice not sleepy at all. I guessed that I had woke him up with my crying out in my sleep. "I tried to hug you and you pushed me away."  
"He...I...Charlie..." I sobbed, shivering with fear. I pulled my knees to my chest. Jay sat up and pulled me down beside him gently.  
"It's okay, Donna. He won't hurt you. I'm right here. I won't let him hurt you." He told me in a soothing voice, wrapping his arms around my trembling body and encasing me with the warmth of his own. I remained tense until he began to run his fingers through my hair gently, lovingly. "You're safe. I'll protect you, my Angel." He told me over and over until I stopped trembling and drifted back to sleep and into my normal dream.


	12. Chapter Twelve

## Chapter 12

I called my foreman to tell him that I was running late. Truth was, I was enjoying a good breakfast with the guys and my family before everyone had to leave for their respective jobs. Since the guys had to catch their return flight at 11:30, we ate and then I walked them out to their rental car.  
"I'm gonna miss you." Jay told me.  
"I'm gonna miss you, too." I replied, handing him the copies of the photos Maria had given me along with a few of my notebooks. He handed me a box that Matt had tossed onto the snowy roof of the car, then reached into the pocket of his jeans and fished out a fuzzy box.  
"I hope you won't take offense that I bought you something, but I wanted to. Open it at work, okay?"  
"Okay." He gave me a gentle hug, then a lingering kiss on the lips. Matt told me goodbye shortly thereafter and then the boys got into the car and left. I pouted, still holding the boxes in my arms, damn close to tears.

**********

Once at work, Janie questioned me, but I was on another planet.  
"Those boxes have sat there for twenty minutes. What is in them?"  
"I don't know." I responded in a pure daze.  
"You did _something_ with him that's got you stuck in dream mode."  
I sighed.  
"Yeah..."  
"You're killing me with those boxes."  
"What boxes?" Questioned Charlie, strolling up to us. His voice startled me out of my daze. I began to tremble, looking down at my desk.  
"Never mind. It doesn't concern you." Janie said in a heated voice. She wasn't too thrilled with what Chucky had done to my arm and the fact that I refused to take it to the bosses angered her even further.  
"How are you doing, Donna?" He asked. I glanced up at him.  
"Go away, Chucky." I told him.  
"Aww...come on, Donna. Did your wrestler boyfriend nurse you back to health yesterday?" I ignored his comment as Janie stood up and got in his face. I tried to hide my hands to conceal my fear from him.  
"What the hell does it matter to you, Charlie? What they do is none of your damn business. You're badgering this poor girl, and in all honesty, why she hasn't taken that bruise up to the front office to show Ron and Josh is beyond me!"  
"The genius never allowed me to get my side in yesterday before he decided to open his big, stupid mouth and make empty threats."  
I set down my tape gun casually and picked up my blade, exposing it and waving it around like I was getting ready to use it on the box I was working with, then I waved it casually in his direction, turning toward him. "And just what is 'your side', Charlie?"  
"That you almost fell and I caught you."  
"By my arm, you dumbass?" I cried. "If you're falling, nobody's gonna grab your arm like a boa constrictor! You cornered me in the back room like a rat in a cage because you knew that everybody who was left here would think I left because I was staying late without saying anything to anybody in order to catch up on some of my work!" Tears of frustration fell down my face. He licked his dry lips and shook his head.  
"Your wrestler boyfriend should really be made aware that his girlfriend is extremely delusional."  
"Give me the blade, Donna." Janie mumbled.  
"Don't you ever touch me again!" I screamed at Charlie.  
"What is going on here?" Our foreman Joel demanded as Janie sat me down in my chair, taking my blade out of my hand, shutting it quietly and sticking it in her pocket before turning around to face him. Tony followed right behind him, then up to me.  
"Are you okay, Donna?"  
"Yeah." I mumbled.  
"Show Joel your arm, Donna." Janie instructed as Charlie told his heroic tale of how he kept me from falling by violently grabbing for my arm. Joel wasn't even listening to him. Instead, he inspected my arm, then looked up at Charlie.  
"I hope you know that your story isn't being bought. Donna? What happened to you?" I told Joel my side, and that's when Joel looked Charlie dead in the eyes. "I want you out of here. Please gather all of your belongings and remove yourself from the premises. Effective immediately."  
Charlie glared at me, then stomped away as I began to cry out of relief. Tony massaged my shoulders as Joel talked to Janie about what had just gone down. After a short while, Tony noticed my gifts from Jason.  
"What are these?"  
I shrugged. "I don't know."  
"Are they from your boyfriend? If so, I bet you they'd clear those tears right up. Why don't you open them?"  
I sighed and opened the big box that Matt had pulled out of the car. Inside lay a Pavel Bure jersey. The numbers were written upon in blue sharpie:

__

__

_'I know I'm not Pavel Bure, but I wanted to give to this jersey that I wore on SmackDown! last Thursday night. I love you very much, my precious angel, and I look forward to seeing you when I come home from the road.  
Love Always,  
Jason Reso-- 'Christian' '_

__

__

Tears filled my eyes and fell down my cheeks.  
"So much for cheering her up." Janie joked.  
"There's another one." Tony pointed out, handing me the jewelry box. I flipped it open and there sat a charm holder with interlocking hearts and leaves surrounding them. On the charm holder sat two charms: one that read '100% Taken' (obviously thinking that Charlie could read. Silly Jason...buffoons can't read) and the other one was a guardian angel. More tears fell. "Dammit, girl, stop the water works!" Tony laughed.  
"I can't!" I told him, reading the note on the back of the jersey again.  
"I hope you're satisfied, Donna!" Charlie cried on his way out.  
"You brought it on yourself!" I yelled after him.  
"Joel took out the trash for the day." Janie told me with a smile.  
"He sure did."  
I put my existing charms onto the charm holder and then put the holder on the chain. Afterward, I held the jersey up to my nose. The soft smell of Jay's cologne that was left on the jersey lifted my mood immediately and caused a smile to creep upon my face.  
"There you go, girl." Tony told me. “We love to see that smile.”  
I finally got to work and the day ended up being interrupted several times by Josh, Ron and Nick (the other foreman), and then the secretaries who all wanted to see what had happened and how I was doing. Around four, I got a phone call. I walked up to the front and picked up the phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Hi, Angel. We got to our destination safely. Did you get the jersey and the charms?"  
"Yes. Thank you." I told him, thinking about the note again.  
"Oh Donna...why are you crying?"  
"The note on the jersey."  
"Donna..."  
"I don't know why I'm so touched by it, but I am."  
"Aww....how was work?"  
"Charlie got fired today because of what he did to my arm."  
"Good."  
"Next problem at hand: Kathrine and Rick."  
"You know, I haven't even thought about them? I've been too busy thinking about you."  
"So I hear." I told him, smiling. After a short silence, he spoke.  
"I suppose I should get going. Talk to you tonight. Glad to hear you are happy."  
"Okay. I love you."  
"Love you too, Angel."

*********

The next two weeks crawled by. Survivor Series came and went and now all attention was focused on Armageddon. One night in mid-December, Chris and Adam called me.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey Donna."  
"What's up, Chris?"  
"How's my favorite ex-Jerichoholic doing?"  
"Ex? Chris, I'm still stuck at step one. I’m certainly far from cured." I laughed. He chuckled on the other end. "What's up? Looking forward to defending your title at Armageddon?"  
"Didn't I just do that at Survivor Series? You're rushing my title reign away. What kind of Jerichoholic are you?" He joked. His voice became serious right afterward. "I wanted to talk to you about Jason."  
"What about him? Is he okay?"  
"He doesn't want you to worry, but the anticipation of Armageddon is driving him crazy."  
"Well, it's here in Detroit, so I'll be there. I have the tickets he gave to me."  
"I know, but he's trying not to switch back into his old way of thinking and trying to keep his attention focused on you."  
"Is he there? Can I talk to him?"  
"No, he's at his hotel already."  
"Do you have the number? Which room? Which hotel?"  
"Hey Jerky!" Chris yelled to someone passing the phone at his end, causing me to laugh. What a lovely greeting you get when you're a friend of Chris Irvine's. "Adam! Jay's girlfriend is on the phone!"  
"Let me talk to her." I heard Adam say.  
"No way. I thought I'd stand here all night and make you yell to her from the background. Donna, I will talk to you later."  
"Bye Chris."  
"Here, Adam."  
"See you, Chris. Hey Donna."  
"What's up, Adam? Hey, where's Jay staying? Do you happen to know?"  
"Holiday Inn, room one thirty-seven." Adam replied. "It's starting to wear on him, Donna."  
"So I heard. Adam, what can we do?"  
"Keep him talking about it. Keep the door open to talk. If he feels that nobody can relate, he'll close up on us again."  
"I won't let that happen." I promised. My pager, rarely used except by my mother and Maria when they really needed to get a hold of me, went off and I reached over and looked at it. On it I saw a phone number, 137 and 911.  
"I know it's only been a month for you two, but aside from this upcoming disaster with his ex, I've never seen him so happy."  
"Really? Hey Adam, what room was that again?"  
"One thirty-seven."  
"Okay. This is him on my pager. I've gotta go."  
"Alright. Talk to you later."  
"Thanks Adam." I told him. I hung up for a second and then dialed the number on my pager. "Room one thirty-seven, please."  
"Hello?" Said Jay a few moments later.  
"Hi Jay. Are you alright?"  
"Yeah. I just wanted to hear your voice."  
"Jason, it’s not like you to call me just to do that. Something's upsetting you. I know you well enough by now. Plus, you never leave a 911 in my pager."  
He was silent for a couple of minutes, then he spoke.  
"It's stupid for me to worry about how I'll react when I see them for the first time in three years."  
"Jay, hon, why don't you talk to Vince, Shane or Stephanie and see if you can get a different storyline going with her? You're not going to like her going out there with you and Adam as you guys' valet. You can't play it up like you two are great friends when you have this bad blood between you all."  
"I can't do that, Donna. Where the hell am I on the Federation's ladder? I'm not in any position to demand anything from anybody in the McMahon family."  
"I'm sure you have more leverage than you think. You've been there for a long time. Long enough to ask one simple favor. Besides, it was Vince himself who told me that they have several storylines mapped out in case something happens. I'm sure Vince would understand."  
"I'll give it a shot, but Armageddon's only two weeks away."  
"Literally." I moaned. "Jay, you _do_ know you can call me anytime, right?"  
"Yes, but your line was busy, so that's why I paged you."  
"Okay. I'm just making sure. Chris and Adam are worried about you, and I'm sure that they're the spokesmen for two locker rooms full of your friends."  
"Why are they worried about me?"  
"Why shouldn't they be? The reason you spent the past three years in a shell is about to step foot into your place of employment, and you expect your coworkers not to worry about you? Please, Jay...this is me you're talking to. I love you, I'll support you, and in two weeks at the Joe, I'll be right beside you when you do finally see them."  
"There is nothing to worry about, Donna. You guys don't have to worry about me."  
"Yes I do, Jay. Your friends know you better than I do, but I worry about everyone. You planned to spend the rest of your life with her! You brought home all that stuff and walked in on that. You don't think I remember how emotional you were when you told me about it a month ago? I _am_ worried about you, Jason. I can't wait until you come home. I want to see your face; I want to touch your body. I want to know that you're okay for myself because your voice is telling me how sad you are, and that's why I'm worried about you. I can hear it on the phone more and more the closer we get to this event."  
"What did they tell you, Donna?"  
"They didn't tell me anything. I can hear it in your voice, like I said. They just confirmed it for me. And don't try to pass it off that it's because you're tired.”  
He laughed bitterly.  
"It’s only been a month and you can read my mind."  
"Surprisingly." I said softly. "Jay, what is bothering you?"  
He sighed.  
"Angel..." He said softly, trying to stabilize his shaky voice. "That day..." He sighed again.  
"You're trying not to cry, aren't you? Let the tears out. Dammit, Jay."  
"Rick and I got into quite the brawl as he and Kathrine were preparing to leave. I ended up getting shoved into Kathrine, who in turn fell into the glass end table, shattering it. She ended up needing surgery and rehab on her leg for just under a year. As much as I hate her for what she did and how she treated me while we were together, that is the one thing I wish I could take back." He sniffled, the remorse heavy on his end of the line. "The words, no. The bump and the scuffle in general, yes."  
"He pushed you or you ended up off balance or something. You didn't shove her into it on purpose."  
"I'd never do a thing like that!"  
"I didn't say you would. This leads me to recall something Matt brought up to me because of the whole ordeal with Charlie a couple of weeks ago. Is that incident why you apologize to the women you end up bumping into during matches? Is that why you ask if they're okay?"  
"Yeah. Aside from the fact that I caught them together, my almost costing her her career is the only other part of that day that preys on my mind. I wouldn't be entirely amazed if she still holds it against me. Rick shoved me into her and I took on the bills out of guilt."  
"And?"  
"And? And I was naive enough to think that she'd at least thank me for footing the entire bill and not making Rick pay at least part of it. _He’s_ the one who stood over her, yelling at her and questioning why was she in the way while I helped her to the couch, called the ambulance, and got a cloth for her leg to try to stop the bleeding!" He cried, suddenly frustrated. "They're made for each other. They're both selfish. I don't deal with that day very well as a whole, and I like thinking about you a million times more than I like thinking about that day. That's why I told you not to worry about me. Believe me, though, if I need to talk like I did tonight, I know who to turn to."  
"Seeing them again _is_ bothering you, isn't it? Be honest."  
A long pause followed my question.  
"Yes. Yes it is."  
We talked for four hours that night and all I knew was that I couldn't wait for him to come home the following weekend.

**********

My mother and Ryan decided to argue the following weekend. It was over something remarkably stupid, so when they finally got too loud on Saturday night, I dodged out of the house for a while and sat in my car as it warmed up. I was expecting Jason to arrive sometime after midnight, and it was ten o'clock right now. There was a gentle tapping on my window. I looked up to see my mother standing there in a jacket, but still shivering.  
"Where are you going, honey?"  
"I'm going to the K-Mart down the street for a while."  
"Okay. Be careful."  
"I will, mom."  
I drove down to the 24-hour K-Mart and sat in the parking lot for a couple of minutes, then shut off the engine and ran inside. I meandered around, just window-shopping for a while. I spotted an episode guide to the TV show 'Friends' and picked it up. The show was a longtime favorite of mine and I still caught it on occasion, but I took the book with me for the simple fact that it was Jay's favorite show and I thought he'd appreciate it. I looked in the jewelry display case at the different charms and chains, then moved along. I didn't even realize how much time had passed until I looked at my watch, which read, 12:34 AM. I quickly paid for the book and couple of other items I'd picked out, then left. I had been gone almost three hours and was sure that my mother was worrying about me. I looked for the correct key to unlock the door and finally found it. I no sooner unlocked the door and opened it than I heard footsteps stop behind me. I got on the other side of the door, disregarding the footsteps, and moved to get into my car when I glanced up at the figure that wasn't unlocking the car beside mine, but rather looming above me. The light from the parking lot streetlamp gave Charlie's face just enough of a glow to be recognized by me. The sucking noise he made with his tongue on his teeth made me shiver.  
"How come you never stop by and say hello, Donna?"  
I looked up at him quizzically.  
"How come you don't understand the meaning of the words 'go away?'"  
"Doesn't it ever occur to you how many girls your wrestler boyfriend sees in a week? Mighty hard to resist the ones willing to do anything for a little bit of his time. He's gonna toss you aside like the little ringrat you know you are, and then you'll come running and crying to me."  
"Tell me something, Chucky, am I speaking to your ass or your face? Because I'm having an awful time determining which one I'm actually listening to, considering they both produce the same kind of shit." I snarled.  
"Ooh...listen to that mouth. Shame on you, you dirty girl."  
I tossed my bag into the backseat, then moved to get in. As I did so, Charlie pushed me further in, causing me to hit my kidney into the stick shift. I cried out in pain as I dropped my keys outside the car while reaching for my back.  
"Don't touch me!" I cried. He tried to shut the driver's side door, but the space with us both in the driver's seat was beyond the capacity. He then grabbed the back of my head and rammed me face first into the steering wheel. Once again, I cried out in pain, desperately reaching for the passenger side door. This move allowed him to shut the driver's side door and lock us in the car.  
"Ah, ah, ah! Where are you going, Donna? Come on now!"  
I kicked him full force in the face, bloodying his nose.  
"Son of a bitch! Get out of my car!" I screamed.  
"Come here, you little bitch! Buckle up, because you're going for a ride!" He yelled, pushing my feet down and yanking me upright by my t-shirt. My resistance caused the flimsy fabric to rip. He let go of the shirt and grabbed my exposed shoulder, digging his nails into it. "Where are the keys?"  
"I don't know! They fell when you shoved me into the stick shift, you dumbass!" I cursed. That comment angered him further, causing him to backhand me.  
"Come here!"  
"No! Damn you! Get the hell away from me!"  
He unlocked the door and looked on the ground for my keys. I reared back and kicked him with all my power headfirst into the door. He turned around and grabbed my ankles, violently yanking me toward him. He tried to cover my mouth with his hand, but I bit down on it as hard as I could. I drew blood and spit it right back in his face. He cursed at me and pulled my hair. He then dug his nails right into my waist, pulled at my jeans and busted the zipper. Right then he was yanked off of me and out of the car. I made quick work of dodging into the backseat and onto the floor of the car to hide. A few minutes later, a shadow loomed above me. I begged the shadow not to hurt me anymore and held my hands in front of my face. The shadow's hand touched my cheek softly as I felt a teardrop hit my collarbone, quickly followed by another.  
"My angel." The shadow mumbled, his voice choking with tears. A bright light streamed in through the passenger side window, illuminating Jay's face.  
"Police...what's going on here?" Seeing that I was still not in my right mind, Jay looked at the cop, shielding his eyes from the flashlight, then spoke.  
"The guy laying outside the car was assaulting my girlfriend." Jay replied, his voice straining from the tears in his throat. He looked back down at me. "Donna? Don't be afraid anymore. it's over."  
"No..." I whimpered. He crawled into the backseat and pulled me onto the seat, where I curled up in his strong arms. "Don't leave...please don't leave..."  
He touched my face, which was bloody from my collision with the steering wheel and from when Charlie backhanded me. Jay pulled what was left of my shirt away from my body and gave me the button-up shirt he had on over his own shirt to wear, then pulled up his t-shirt and wiped the blood off of my face.  
"I'm not leaving. I'm home for a week. More if you need me to be."  
"Oh, Jason...thank god..." I mumbled, the bump on my head finally taking effect because of the lack of adrenaline as the ambulance pulled up.

***********

I woke up the next morning in the hospital and the sight of such a room frightened me. Tears stung my eyes.  
"Jay!" I screeched, sending the heart monitor into a rapid cycle.  
"Easy...easy, Donna." He told me, leaning over and touching my face.  
"Get me out of this place! I hate hospitals!" I told him, pain surging through my head like a bolt of lightning. I whimpered at the pain that blinded me and forced me to settle back down. "How'd you find me?"  
"Your mother told me. She said you went out shopping at K-Mart and never came home." He said softly, his fingertips just grazing the bump on my forehead. "Did he do anything more than what I see?"  
"No."  
"I couldn't have done enough damage to that loser."  
"What did you do, exactly?"  
"When you do a DDT in the ring, the mat is at least a little forgiving and we know how to take that bump. Pavement and ice on the other hand, I'm sure, are quite painful and unforgiving, not to mention he had no idea what I did to him because he’s not a wrestler. I don't think he'll bother you again, especially considering jailtime for his attempt."  
"You--?"  
"Right on his head." I smiled slightly at the thought.  
"And you slept here all night?"  
"Why wouldn't I? I was right here by your side the whole time." He said, stroking my hair.  
"When can I leave?  
"Soon, I'm sure. They ran some tests because of that brutal bump on your head. They wanted to make sure you don’t have a concussion. I think they said that you could leave after you wake up and can tell them some facts. I’m not allowed to tell you anything when they do come in to ask."  
"Okay."  
"Angel, look at me." I looked at him reluctantly. His eyes stared back at me, worried. "Are you okay?"  
"Yes." I insisted. He took my hand in both of his and hid his face behind it. With that, he began to cry. "Jay?"  
"What if I had waited for you at your house? What if I had caught the next flight or missed my flight entirely?"  
I sighed. "Jay, you didn't. You know as well as I do that it could have ended up a hell of a lot worse than it did. What do I have? Scratches, a bump on the head and a bruised-up face?" He nodded, still upset. "Things that heal. I'll be fine." I told him, looking at him. "Oh, honey, come here." With my free hand, I gently guided his head to my chest and stroked his warm, wet cheek. I looked up and saw my family standing outside, watching the exchange. My mom gave me a small wave as they walked away.  
There would be no more rounds of twenty questions. My family, especially my overprotective mother, now knew that Jason Reso cared about me enough to put his own life in danger and that it didn't matter what he did for a living. He was as far from Bradley as they came.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

## Chapter 13

Later that night, I laid in bed half-asleep. Between the facial injuries and the pain pills, I was sleeping more than I really wanted to. Jay rested beside me, his muscular arm draped gently across my waist. I jumped slightly at the sound of a soft knock on the bedroom door. Jay looked at me and stroked my shoulder as he stood up and opened the door.  
"Hi, Jason. I'm sorry for disturbing you guys, but I just wanted both of you to know that dinner is ready." I heard my mother say. "How's Donna?"  
"She's fine. She’s been sleeping off and on since she got home. I think it’s more from her injuries than the medicine, though."  
"Any nightmares or has she spoke about the incident at all?"  
"No, ma'am."  
"You look tired. Go back to sleep, hon. Dinner will be there when you guys are ready to eat."  
"Thank you." Jay said, shutting the door softly behind her, then laying back down beside me, resuming the position he was in before my mother used dinner as an excuse to check on my condition.  
"Jay, if you're hungry, go eat."  
"I'm fine."  
"Honey, are you sure?"  
"I'm staying right here." He insisted.  
"Okay."  
I relaxed and fell back to sleep. When I awoke, Jay moved, putting both of his arms around my waist protectively.   
"I know that now is not the time, but I read the stories you loaned to me. They’re in my rental car." He mumbled, his breath unexpected as it brushed my neck. Personally, I was happy with the change of topic.  
"You did?" I asked, bracing for some hellacious criticism. "And?"  
"And I loved them."  
"You did?" I repeated.   
"Yes. Very, very much." He replied, propping himself up on one elbow and giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek right before my phone began to ring. He sighed. "Should I?"  
"Please do… it’s making my head hurt." He took one hand off of my waist and reached behind himself to pick up the phone, then rested his head back down beside mine.   
"Hello? Hey, Adam. Yeah, I made it alright. Well, no. She was attacked last night by that slimeball who hurt her arm. No, thank god, but she's got a large bump on her forehead and some cuts and bruises." I looked over at Jay, feeling my eyes roll around just slightly as I tried to focus on him. It was all more irritating than painful. "I will."  
"Can I talk to him?" I mumbled.  
"Wait, Adam. She wants to talk to you." He handed me the phone.  
"Donna?"  
"Hi Adam."  
"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you. How are you feeling?"  
"Tired from the bump on my head and the pain pills. They said I don’t have a concussion, but my bell definitely got rung on some level because he rammed my head face first into my steering wheel. Jay has been by my side almost nonstop and his being here is making me feel safe, but it's like he's glued to my side. Please convince him to at least go downstairs and eat."  
"He's just worried about you, and with good reason." He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "Are we still going to see you at Armageddon?"  
"Yes. I have to go. Certain people are depending on my being there."  
"Will you be well enough?"  
"Oh, sure. I'm going to call in or go in and explain what happened and I'll be taking the week off to rest up and get better."  
"Explain? You have to _explain?"_ Jay cried. I looked at him as pointedly as I could.  
"Yes, Jason, I do. They have to know and see what happened to me."  
"Okay, fine."  
"Could you please talk to your best friend for me? Please tell him why I have to explain to my foremen what happened to me?"  
"Yes, I'll talk to him for you. Feel better, okay, Donna?"  
"I will. Thanks, Adam." I told him wholeheartedly. I handed the phone back to Jay, then rolled onto my side, shutting my eyes. He sat up to talk to Adam some more and after he hung up the phone, he laid back down beside me. "Damn you, Jason. Go eat!" I scolded.  
"I'm not hungry."  
"Yes you are, and you know it. I'd go downstairs with you, but I'd topple over from lightheadedness. You have to eat, Jay. I'll be fine for five minutes. I've got Pooh-Bear here with me." I said, referring to my faithful orange-and-white cat who rested on my other side, all curled up. Jay sighed, realizing he'd been defeated in the battle.  
"Want anything?"  
"A glass of milk, please. Anything more at this point and I’ll probably see it again in ten minutes."  
"Okay." He told me and left the door ajar so I wouldn't have to get up to let him back in. I reached down to pet Pooh-Bear, who mewed softly and stretched. I wondered if the lump and bruises on my face would clear up enough by the following Sunday to get a small lesson in the ring.   
Sunday. Armageddon. Everybody was worried about Jay and his reaction. Meanwhile, it was me who wanted to knock her on her ass.  
I listened to the goings-on downstairs as my mother urged Jay to put more food on his plate. I laughed lightly, struggling to focus on my wrestling posters. Jay finally made his way back upstairs and into my room, then kicked the door shut. He set the plate on my end table as I forced myself to sit up and focus my eyes on him and his plate.  
"Enough food?"  
"Your mother seems to think I'm a _sumo_ wrestler, judging from the amount of food she crammed on this plate!"  
"Ulterior motive: 'get my daughter to eat'." I giggled slightly as he sat beside me and handed me my glass of milk. He looked over at me and smiled.  
"I see a smile."  
"So?" I laughed.  
"So, you have no idea how much of a relief it is for me to see it."  
"Really?"  
"Yes." He studied me for a minute. "Want to at least try to eat a couple of bites?" He asked, nodding toward the plate of food. I gave thought to his offer, then nodded, reaching for the fork. He pulled it just out of my reach.   
"Jay!"  
"Just sit." He told me, putting some green beans on the fork and holding it in front of my face. I gave him a small smile and ate them. He did this until I wasn't hungry anymore, then ate what was left. He was unbelievable. I think the only downfall to the week ahead was that my being injured limited us to staying at my house, but even that sounded like fun.

**********

The following day, I insisted that I go into my job to show them exactly _why_ I'd be taking the week off. Joel looked up at us as Jay helped me into his office, and he had to do a double take.  
"Donna? Oh my god! What the hell happened to you?"  
"Charlie happened to me. He attacked me on Saturday night in a parking lot in my car."  
"You're not planning to work like that, are you?"  
"I couldn't even if I wanted to. As it is, Jay is bracing me right now so I don't fall over."  
"Damn, Donna, I'm so --"  
"Donna?" Questioned Janie. She walked around us and saw my face. "Holy shit! What happened?" She cried, looking closer. I ended up explaining what happened as everyone filtered in, and I insisted on going home shortly afterward. I was exhausted. Janie, Tony and Joel each gave me a hug and well wishes. Joel insisted that he'd make sure I'd get paid for the week, which was a relief to me.  
Once in the car, Jay looked at me and touched my cheek gently.  
"You'll be back to your routine in no time."  
A smile was my lone response. I was just happy with knowing that he was okay.

**********

As the week progressed, I did get better and the bruises on my face were on their way to healing enough by Sunday. Jason eventually spent time hanging out with Danny, Jake and Steven, letting them in on some things not everybody knew about. On Saturday afternoon, Matt, Jeff, Amy, Adam and Chris stopped by.  
Chris held a bouquet of flowers and a card out to me, smiling. I smiled in return, taking the gifts and looking at the group questioningly.  
"Come in, everybody." Once they were inside, I looked up at Chris. "Now, what's this for?"  
"Everybody sends get well wishes. They didn't all want to invade your home today, so they signed the card for you, and the flowers are really from Jason."  
I looked up at Jay, who was feigning shock. "Who? Me?" I smiled and gave them each a hug, then I stopped and looked Jay in the eyes.  
"Thank you."  
"You're welcome, Angel." He told me, giving me a hug.   
"Have a seat, everyone." I told the group as I walked into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. As I was walking back into the living room, my mother walked in the door. She looked from me to the group, then back to me.  
"Friends of yours?"  
"Yeah." I laughed.  
She put the grocery bags down in the kitchen, then walked back into the living room. They all stood in respect as they took turns shaking my mother's hand.  
"Nice to see you again, Matthew." She said, starting with Matt.  
"The pleasure is mine. This is my younger brother Jeff." My mom looked puzzled as she looked Jeff over.  
"You know, I'm almost forty-three and my mother can't tolerate me dying my hair one color. What on earth does your father think about this?" She questioned lightheartedly, reaching up to inspect a lock of Jeff's purple hair with the bright yellow highlights. She remembered what Matt had said about his and Jeff's mom passing away when they were 9 and 12, respectively, from cancer. I hadn't expected her to remember that, but she did.   
"He often asks about it and wonders what the hell I'm thinking with some of the colors I choose." Jeff laughed. "However, as long as Matt and I are doing well, it's all fine by him. He realizes that we're going to pretty much do our own thing anyway."   
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that. Wish I could get my mother to realize that." My mom laughed lightly. Her eyes went directly from Jeff to Amy. "And look at you!"  
"This is Matt and Jeff's good friend and part-time valet Amy Dumas. She plays Lita." I said, half-introducing her to myself as well. Maria knew her and I only got to meet her for about two minutes when I was down in Florida.  
"Look at that giant tattoo! Where'd you get it? It's fascinating!" My mom exclaimed, referring to the mask tattoo on Amy's right shoulder.  
"I got it done in Amsterdam when I spent five weeks in Europe."  
"Oh wow..." My mom said. "That is really neat. I bet you have some great stories of your travels over there."  
"Yes, I do." Amy said with a smile. My mom then looked up at Chris, who shook her hand.  
"Christopher Irvine, this is my mom. Mom, this is the infamous Chris Jericho -- Y2J." I said as Jay wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and pulled me close to him.  
"So you’re the guy who wears the ponytail and the flashy shirts that my daughter likes so much, and the same one with the wisecracks that my son and his friends repeat to each other." My mother said. Chris gave her a goofy, lopsided grin, obviously prided by this news.  
"I'm not sure if those are good or bad things, but yes, I'm the one and only."  
"Thank god." Matt laughed.  
"Easy, jerky." Chris replied.   
"Nice to finally meet you." My mom giggled.   
"Same here." Chris said sincerely, his attention focusing from Matt back to my mom.  
Last was Adam. My mother eyed him cautiously. "Okay, so, we have the young man with the colored hair, the young lady with the tattoo and the other young man with the flashy shirts, ponytails and wisecracks. What about you? What is your thing?" My mom joked as she shook Adam's hand.  
"I'm Jason's best friend."  
"And there you have it, folks." Jeff kidded. I glanced up at Jay, who arched his eyebrow at his friend.  
"I can close that mouth for you as fast as you can open it."  
"I'd like to see you try it, tough guy."  
"You hear this one?" Jay asked me with a laugh. "We'll see tomorrow, won't we?" He told Jeff, who simply laughed and waved it off. Foley had set up a Hell in a Cell tag team match for the following evening's card at Armageddon. My mom laughed lightly as she walked into the kitchen to put the groceries away. Adam, Jason and the Hardys sat down in the living room to go over the match as Chris, Amy and I sat at the dining room table and chatted in a low voice.  
"So, how's your head?" Chris asked, referring to the bruised bump on my forehead.  
"Healing okay, thank god."  
"What a loser. I'd like to take him out to a parking lot and beat the hell out of him!" Amy growled.   
"Jason DDT'd him in the nice, icy parking lot." Chris told her. Amy's eyes got wide.   
"He _what?!"_  
I smiled slightly, glancing over at my own version of Superman, then back to Chris and Amy.  
"Face first into some icy pavement." Chris repeated. "And I heard that you got some blows in on him as well."  
I smiled again, slightly proud of myself. "He got to kiss the glass on the driver's side door and also, he may need to get tested for rabies or cooties or whatever he thinks girls have because I bit his hand."  
"Damn, girl! With a little training, I'm sure you could kick some WWF ass!!" Amy said. "What do you do now?"   
"I lift heavy boxes all day."  
"Weightlifting!" Chris laughed.  
"Jay hasn't shown you any moves yet?"  
"Nope."  
"Well, how's the head?"  
"I got a checkup yesterday. I'm all clear. It was not a concussion."  
"Good, because if your own _boyfriend_ won't show you any moves, I can teach you some." She said loudly, getting the boys' attention.  
"Huh?" Jay questioned, looking over at us.  
"Never mind." Amy replied in a light voice.  
"No. What?"  
"I want to show Donna some moves tomorrow, since you haven't shown her any."  
"I've shown her some moves." He replied slyly, looking at me. I smiled, feeling my cheeks get warm.  
"That's more than I needed to know, Reso." Chris moaned.   
" _Wrestling_ moves, smartass." Amy said, laughing and rolling her eyes. "Any other 'moves' you care to show her that have absolutely jack to do with wrestling is entirely up to you."  
Jay chuckled lightly and went back to talking to Adam and the Hardys. Chris tapped my arm and I looked into his blue eyes.   
"How has he been all week?" He asked me in a low voice.  
"He's been concentrating on me, not that stupid ex of his."  
"Good. I think Jason can handle it all a lot better than most of us give him credit for now, but everybody in the locker rooms know and they're worried about him anyway."  
I sighed.  
"I think he's prepared for it."  
"There's really nothing more anyone can do."  
"Especially considering the thing about them being her new sidekicks." Jay had approached Vince the previous weekend and he didn't want to change it altogether, but it would be made into a shorter stint than was originally planned in order to give Rick a position, then she'd turn on them and become Rick's valet.  
"At least it's gonna be short-lived." Chris sniffed. I nodded in agreement.  
“Not short enough.”  
"Can I kick her ass?" Amy asked, then held up her hand as Chris opened his mouth. " _Before_ I'm scheduled to?"  
"You're just in an ass-kicking mood today, aren't you?" Chris questioned with a grin.  
"Well, get me mad, and I'll get even." Amy responded. "I mean, come on. They're both dogs. With the exception of when he's running me into walls, giving me bulldogs and DDT's and teasing me, Matt and Jeff, he's an absolute doll. And for them to do what they did to him, well, that deserves a major ass-kicking."   
"Except for all that, huh?" Chris laughed, then became serious. "Tomorrow should be fun."  
"Interesting to say the least." I mumbled, glancing over at Jay, who was laughing and talking animatedly to the guys. As if reading my mind, Amy spoke.  
"The _very_ least."

**********

Later that night after everyone left, Jay flipped through my CD collection and pulled out Ozzy Osbourne's 'Bark at the Moon' CD and pressed play before he rested beside me. I listened to it as he fell asleep with his arms around my waist. A song came on that seemed to sum up Jay's relationship with Kate perfectly. It was called 'You're No Different'.

The lyrics gave me the chills. It was like he was almost talking to Kate in the song. 

I began to wonder if Jay wanted me to hear the song to realize that he was indeed letting it begin to bother him or if he had just picked it by chance. I voted that he wanted me to know it was beginning to bother him, and because of my injuries, he didn't want me to know that it was. Chris was right. Tomorrow should be fun.

Yeah...right.

(This part originally contained full lyrics to the song, but they cannot be posted here. Please Google them if you're not familiar with it.)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

## Chapter 14

The following morning, Jay was up before me.  
"Jason?"  
"Hey Donna! How are you feeling this morning?"   
"Perhaps I should be asking _you_ that question." I mumbled, opening my eyes to focus on him.  
"I'm fine. The Hell in a Cell tag match should be great."  
"Anything you guys do is memorable." I told him, sitting up and yawning. "I've gotta get the boys up and about since they're going with us."   
"They're up already."  
"What time do we have to be at The Joe?"  
"Around eleven." I glanced at the clock, which read **9:08**.  
"Okay." As I changed into my Edge and Christian shirt, Jay slipped his arms around me. I relaxed against him and smiled broadly. "So do you guys have to talk it over some more?"  
"We talked a lot of it out last night, but we've got to go over it a little more, yeah."  
"It'll be interesting to see what goes into a pay-per-view, and I'm sure that the boys will enjoy meeting everyone."  
"They were in awe when they met Matt."  
"And you, too."  
"Well, some of your friends have mistaken me for Hunter and C.J., so I must not be too recognizable." He joked.  
"Well, they're hockey freaks, not WWF fans."  
He wrinkled his nose. His Maple Leafs weren't faring too well, and we were at Christmastime already, so the NHL season was 1/3 over with.  
"There's the problem, then." He said, letting go of my waist so I could finish getting ready. Just as I was tying my hair back, the phone rang.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey girl! The article's coming out after the new year!" Said Maria excitedly.  
"Hey Maria!"  
"We made a killer article, Donna! It even impressed my mom's boss."  
"Really?" I asked happily.  
"Yeah! Hey, you're not going to forget to give Kate a swat to the head for me tonight, are you?"  
"Of course not." I replied, watching Jay go through his duffel bag.  
"He's there, isn't he?"  
"How’d you guess?"  
“I just know. I mean, they’re in town, so he’d have to be.”  
Maria and I caught up on things until Jason and I had to get going.  
"Alright. You go and get that little bitch. I'll be watching and waiting for the story of how it all went down behind the scenes. Tell the boys good luck in their match for me."  
"You bet. Talk to you later, Marie."  
"Bye Donna."  
Jay tossed his duffel bag over his shoulder and we walked downstairs. There sat Danny, Jake and Steven. Danny was dressed in my Jericho football jersey, Jake in D-X gear and Steven was wearing a Hardy Boyz shirt. Jay nodded until his eyes fell upon that one.  
"And you thoroughly expect to ride with us, wearing that? You can walk or ride on the roof or something."  
"Sorry, man. You guys are great, but the Hardys' style is awesome!"  
"Oh, now you're really working that last nerve." Jay teased. “Maybe we can strap you to the hood.”  
"They're better. What can I say?" Steven laughed.  
"Now you're _definitely_ walking. I know what you can say now: 'Can I hitch a ride to the Joe Louis Arena, please'?" Jay told him, holding out his thumb in hitchhiking position. “Nosebleed seats for you.”  
We all laughed. Jay was in such a good mood today. As we sat down to breakfast, I silently prayed that his mood would remain as serene as it was. We quickly ate and got up to leave.  
"So am I walking or riding with you all?" Steven asked playfully.  
"Who's got the bungee cords so that we can strap him to the hood of the car?" Jay replied.  
"No way! You're not scratching the hood of my car with those cords!" I cried, laughter filling my voice.  
"I give up then. I guess he can ride with us." He said lightly. We all piled into my car and I looked around at the front seat. "Donna? Donna, are you okay?"  
"Can we please take your rental car, Jason?" I hadn't driven, much less been inside, my car since I had gone to K-Mart the previous weekend. My mom's boyfriend had gone and retrieved it the day after the incident with Charlie.  
"Yeah. Of course. We should have done that from the beginning. I'm not with it, I guess." He said, blaming himself for my thinking I was ready to drive my own car.  
"It's not your fault, Jay." I told him as we all got into the rental car. "I thought I'd be alright. I guess the whole incident bothered me more than I initially thought."  
"I should have still known something, thought of it, asked you about it...anything."  
"It's not up to you to remember or think of something so minor, especially with bigger things on your mind." I told him. All was quiet between Jason and I as we listened to the boys' banter about the pay-per-view, which we were taping at home.  
What had just happened concerning me and my car paled in comparison to what we were about to face, and I was ready to back Jay one hundred percent.

**********************

We were greeted by Shane and Stephanie at the gate behind the Joe Louis Arena. They let the car in, then locked the gate behind us. They took the boys, who were all armed with cameras and film, around to give them the tour as Jay and I put his stuff in the locker room.  
Jay looked at me after setting up his gear.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. You?"  
"I'm fine." He reached up and touched my cheek with his hand. "Are you gonna be able to drive that car?"  
"Yeah. I'll get past it."  
We walked out of the locker room and into the hallway to see Mick walking toward us with his wife Collette, his eight-year-old son Dewey, and his seven-year-old daughter Noelle. Noelle spotted us and pointed while tugging on her father's shirt.  
"Daddy?"  
Mick looked up at us and waved. "Go ahead and say hi, Noelle."  
"This little girl is so cute. Watch." Jay said, kneeling on the floor as the little blond girl ran up to him. She jumped into his arms, smiling and laughing. Jay stood up. "Hi Noelle!"  
"Hi, Christian!" She replied, addressing him by his stage name. Jay looked over at me, smiling, obviously in his glory now. He looked back to Noelle.   
"How are you doing?"  
"I'm good." She told him, throwing her arms around his neck. Her eyes rested on me. "Who's that?"  
"That's my girlfriend, Donna."  
She pouted at this news, pulling back and looking at him with big sad eyes.  
"I thought _I_ was your girlfriend." She said, suddenly crestfallen. He gave her a kiss on the cheek.  
"You're my ‘girlfriend’ while I'm _in_ the ring, remember?"  
"Okay." She agreed, smiling again. She looked at me once more, then pointed at my shirt. "I like your shirt."  
"Aww...thank you."  
"Christian, do you and Edge have a match tonight?" She asked, looking back to him and moving his hair back with her tiny hand.  
"Yes we do."  
The smile became very broad.  
"Steel cage cell match, right?" She asked. Jay chuckled slightly as I stifled a giggle. The kid had her own names for everything.   
"Yup. That's it."  
"Kinda like what daddy did with the Undertaker?"  
"Pretty much, yeah."  
"Hello," Mick said, coughing slightly and nodding toward his daughter, "Christian. How are you today?"  
"I'm doing well, how about you, Mick?"  
"Not too bad, thanks."  
"Good morning, Collette. What's up, Dewey?"  
"Good morning, Jason." Collette replied as Dewey high-fived Jay, who then proceeded to introduce me to the remainder of Mick's family. Noelle tugged at Jay's collar slightly, her eyes wide.  
"You're wrestling the Undertaker?" She gasped once Jay looked at her.  
"No, sweetie. Edge and I are wrestling the Hardy Boyz."  
"Good." She said as a look of relief crossed her face and she hugged him.  
"Don't ever mention Christian and the Undertaker in the same sentence. She didn't like the Stephanie abduction storyline." Mick explained. "Not one bit."  
Jason shook his head as Noelle rested hers on his shoulder.  
"That whole storyline was stupid anyway." He said, looking from Noelle to Dewey. "You guys want to wear some of my sunglasses?" The kids nodded happily. Jay and Adam had taken to wearing some really wacked out, crazy sunglasses, and the kids loved them. He took the kids into the locker room and Collette and Mick looked at me.  
"So, how long have you been seeing Jason?" Collette asked.  
"About a month and a half now."  
"He seems a lot happier. You know, he really enjoys being around everyone's kids, especially Dewey and Noelle. Noelle has been his biggest fan since he entered the Federation."  
"She seems like it."  
"She has _such_ a crush on him. Oh would you get a load of this one?" Mick said, starting to laugh. We looked at Dewey, who wore sunglasses with bright red lenses that were about four inches in diameter, while Noelle had on a pair of shades almost identical to her brother's, only they were yellow. Noelle still sat in Jay's arms, both children grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Seeing them happy made Jay happy. "What are you doing, Noelle?"  
"I'm being like Christian, Daddy!" She giggled.  
"Just don't start talking like him, okay? Two of these jokers are already too many." He told his daughter. "Are you ready to go, Noelle?"  
"No..." She whimpered, hugging Jay's neck.  
"Noelle, you can see him later. Christian has things to do right now."  
"Aww...Mick, she can stay with us for a while. Do you mind, Donna?"  
"Not at all."  
"Okay, then." Mick replied. "Be a good girl for Christian and Donna, okay?"  
"Yes, daddy."   
"Jason, can I wear these around for a while more?" Dewey asked.  
"As long as you want."  
"Cool! Thanks!"  
"No sweat, buddy."  
We walked along with Noelle resting on Jay's shoulder. We saw Mark Calloway talking to Vince, who happened to motion for Jay to come over.  
"Noelle, I have to see Vince for a minute. Can you stay with Donna until I get back?"  
"You're gonna go talk to the Undertaker, too?" She asked, pointing to Calloway. "Can I go?"  
Jason ran his tongue along his back teeth, thinking about this.  
"Sure. Come on." I stayed where I was. When Jay got done talking to Vince, he talked to Mark as Noelle hid her face in Jay's neck. I walked over and touched Noelle's shoulder. She looked up at me and I took her out of Jay's arms. Jay continued to talk to Mark, laughing and joking a little. Noelle saw this and looked up at me.  
"He likes Christian?" She asked, now confused.  
"They're really good friends. Mark and Jason play characters on TV." I reminded her.  
"Like my daddy used to?"  
"Exactly."  
"Oh...okay." She brightened. "Then the Undertaker can be my friend again." Jay glanced over at me questioningly.  
"We're going, Mark. See you later."  
"See you Jason. Bye Noelle. Bye Donna."  
"Bye Mark."  
"Bye Mr. Undertaker!"  
"Okay Donna. What's up? Almost a year of hostility towards Mark is gone and replaced by that."  
"I told her a fact, not to mention she saw you two laughing and joking."  
Just then, the Hardys and Amy walked in.  
"Hitchhiker?" Matt asked Jay, referring to Noelle. "How are you, Noelle?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Donna wouldn't let me strap him to the hood, but there's a big Hardy fan roaming around here somewhere."  
"Now, why would you want to strap him to the hood?" Jeff laughed.  
"Because he said that Adam and I weren't as good as you guys."  
"The truth hurts, buddy." Jeff said, patting Jay's shoulder.  
"And so will your body after the match." Matt chimed in.  
"We'll see about that." Adam said, a wicked grin crossing his face as he strolled up.  
"You ready for your lesson yet?" Amy asked me. "Or should we wait until after lunch?"  
"Let's wait."  
After a while, Mick found us and took Noelle with him and Jay and I walked around until we bumped into Paul and Joanie.   
"Hey guys! How are you?"  
"We're doing fine -- no wardrobe mix-ups yet." Joanie laughed.  
"Very funny." Said Paul.  
"How are _you_ doing, Jason? And you too, Donna?" Joanie asked.  
"I'm doing better than I was last weekend." I told her. “It still hurts a little, but it’s better.”  
"That's good to hear. I hope that loser gets jailtime for what he pulled."  
"Me too."  
"And how are you, Jay?" She asked again.  
"Better than I thought I'd be doing." He replied, giving his first major thought to the situation that would be coming up soon.  
"I hope you know that we all support you." Joanie told him, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.  
"If there's anything you need, let us know." Paul said.  
"Thanks, guys."  
They dodged into their locker rooms, and no sooner did we walk perhaps five feet when we heard Hunter yell.  
"I'll be damned! JOANIE!" He cried, running out of the locker room with his girlfriend's stage outfit in his hand.  
"I don't think it's you, man. The rhinestones don't set off your eyes very well." Jason laughed.   
"Can it, smartass!" He growled as Jason laughed.  
"Diana Mitchell! Get over here!"  
Jason and I looked up to see a girl about three years old run into the arena. Upon hearing her name, she stopped and looked back at whoever had barked it. The little girl was absolutely adorable. She had long blond hair and big blue pools for eyes. She was followed quickly by a tall woman who also had blond hair. Following them was a very uninterested, muscular man with dark blond hair.  
"Why the _hell_ doesn't she ever listen?" The man barked.  
"I don't know, Rick. She's only three! Call me crazy, but that could be a big part of it!"  
Jay pulled me into one of the green rooms and locked the door.  
"They actually have a kid?!" Jay cried. "Something that cute actually came from that mess?"  
"Hard to believe."  
"Well, that's them. Damn. I never thought I'd see them here. This Federation is way too good for the likes of them."  
"Get used to it, unfortunately. I wish I could give you better advice than that."  
"Me too." He replied, unlocking the door. He began to step out of the room when I pulled him back in quickly and kissed him on the lips. When we broke the kiss, he blinked, his eyes wide. A sly smile crept across his face.  
"I love you." I told him.  
"I see that. I love you, too." He laughed lightly.  
"You don't have to leave until tomorrow morning, right?"  
"Right." He replied, wrapping his arms around my waist.  
"Well then, you'll be going back on the road with the knowledge that the week wasn't entirely a washout physically."  
He raised his eyebrows at me.  
"Is that so?" He questioned. I nodded slowly.  
"I think that you'll need some TLC after tonight, and I'm _not_ talking about tables, ladders and chairs."  
He grinned wickedly. "Oh my." He said seductively, mocking Mick's little takeoff of The Wizard of Oz from a while back, then kissing me passionately on the lips. If only we weren't in the middle of the Joe Louis Arena......  
"Jason Reso, where the hell are you, boy? There are several starving people out here waiting on you and Donna!" Amy hollered.  
"Damn..." Jason cursed softly.  
"We'll have time later. I promise." I told him. We walked out of the green room.  
"The hanky panky can come later, Reso." Amy scolded, winking at the guys. "Let's go find some food in this town."  
"What about Danny and the boys?"  
Matt gestured over to the rental car where the trio of boys stood.  
"You know, Donna, you should know them better than that." Jay joked.  
"Let's _go_ , dammit!" Amy barked with a laugh. Jay let go of me quickly and lunged for Amy playfully, who giggled, screeched loudly and hid behind Matt.  
"That's what I thought." Jay told her as we walked out of the building.

**********

We settled upon the nearby Hockeytown Cafe for lunch.  
"So what do you guys think of the stars of the Federation?" I asked.  
"Stephanie is even better looking in person than she is on T.V." Steven said.  
"All the girls are." Danny chimed in. I rolled my eyes.   
"What about the others?"  
"Um..." Jake laughed. “There are others?”  
"Shut up, man. We got to meet Triple-H, The Rock, Mick Foley and they all kick major ass!" Steven said.  
"This from the Hardy fan." Jay joked. Matt waved a breadstick at his friend.  
"There's nothing wrong with being a Hardy fan." He said.  
"Yeah! Look at your girlfriend! Last time I saw her, she was the biggest Jericho fan on this side of the planet." Jeff pointed out. "Now she's on your side. Oh, the humanity!"  
"Jeff, in their terms, it's 'heinosity' not 'humanity'. " Matt said.  
"You're a real cut-up today, aren't you?" Jason replied, throwing a french fry at him.  
"As for me, boys," I spoke up, "I am far from a bandwagon-jumper. I have been a Christian fan since I started watching and since I first saw him in the Brood, so don't play that card with me sitting here, Jeff Hardy!" I told Jeff, tossing a fry at him as well.  
"Definitely made for each other. Allow me to ask you two something: do you two enjoy giving your french fries away? Because you _could_ just hand them across the table en masse -- it's not that hard or that far. It would be a whole hell of a lot easier than tossing them at us one at a time." Matt said matter-of-factly.  
"Wait. So, you mean to tell me that I can say that you are a bandwagon jumper when you're not around?" Jeff asked me.  
"No." Jay replied to him before I could, then looked at Matt. "And as for you and my french fries, Matt, if you didn't order those damned onion rings, you'd have your own fries, and you wouldn't be eating..." Jay said, tossing another one at him. "the ones..." And another.   
"Why don't you aim for his mouth, Jason? At least get _some_ use out of the damn things." Amy told him, giggling.  
"--I throw at you!" Jay finished, throwing a few more fries at Matt, who caught them and actually ate them.   
"Could I please have some more? Those were good." Matt laughed. "They needed some ketchup, though."  
"No." Jay replied, putting his arms around his plate protectively. "No more for you."  
I smiled. He needed to joke with his friends. He needed to know that they were in his corner as much as I was.   
When we finished eating, we walked back outside and piled into our cars and drove back to the Joe.  
I prayed for a myriad of things at that moment, and I didn't realize it then, but my prayers came too little, too late.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

## Chapter 15

Jason looked at me and sighed loudly; nervously.  
"Jay, I'm telling you not to worry about it. Neither one of them are a part of your life anymore. You won't break down and you won't fly off the handle." I reminded him as everyone walked in ahead of us. The boys went out to the set with the Hardys and Amy to watch the stagehands set up the ring and the special pay-per-view set, leaving us by ourselves.  
"I won't. We've worked too hard in this relationship for me to do that." He promised.  
"Are you feeling confident?" I asked him.  
"Yup." He said with a smile, stopping and turning me around to face him. He gave me a long, lingering kiss. "I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
"Gag...puke...cough...hack..." Chris joked, making gagging noises as he approached us.  
"Hi Chris."  
"Other than being all sappy and everything, how are you doing, Jay?"  
"I'd be lying if I said I was entirely fine." He replied. I tugged at my scarf as we walked down the corridor.  
"Who all is here so far? When we left, there were very few people here."  
"Well, pretty much everyone is here now."  
"I saw _them_ earlier and hoped they'd leave and not look back."  
"I saw them too, man."  
"Well, I'll see you later. Thanks." Jay said and walked past Chris slowly.  
"Sorry." I told Chris.  
"Don't worry about it."  
We continued down the hall until we spotted Kate talking flippantly to Stephanie with Diana in tow behind her like a baby duck. Now that I was closer, I could see that she was a blond about Amy's size, only with a little more curve to her. She had huge emeralds for eyes and thick red lips. In short, the only thing ugly about her was her personality. Other than that, she was actually very pretty. The tall, dark-blond-haired man we also saw earlier came up behind her, practically shoving Diana out of the way, and wrapped his arms around her waist. I wrinkled my nose as they ended their conversation with Stephanie, who jogged down the hall, and spotted us.  
"Oh, great. Here we go." Jay mumbled, running his fingers through his hair.  
"Jay, why don't you--?" I began before I was rudely interrupted.  
"Well, look who it is! If it isn't my little blue jay!" She said loudly. I rolled my eyes. Even her voice irritated me. It wasn't one of those nasal types of voices, but it was simply an irritating voice. Or perhaps it was only irritating because it was coming from her. I looked up at her face. She was looking right down her nose at Jason. "I didn't think you'd still be in this first-class organization. I thought you would have made your way back down to the minors by now, sweetie." I gave her a once-over. Other than being dressed in a mini-skirt and baby tee shirt, her right calf was adorned with a knee brace. Just beneath the brace were faint reminders of the day Jason had told me about.  
"If you wouldn't talk to me, I'd be just a little happier about you sharing a job with me again." Jay responded, taking the initial put-down she'd just handed him. I was shocked. He could stand up to Charlie to defend my honor in a heartbeat, but now here he was, totally defenseless against this know-it-all little twit.  
"And why is that? Oh, dear. Does this have to do with our little 'breakup'?" She questioned, moving her fingers as if making little quotes. "Because, I'll tell you what, sweetie, I was over you as soon as I first saw Rick enter the fed we were in." She said, touching her chest with one hand and touching Jason's arm with the other. Behind her, Rick laughed. Jay shook her hand away and looked up at her for the first time.  
"Yet, you found it fit to string me along for two years after that?"  
"Jay, take it easy, okay?" I mumbled, angry in my own right.  
"Yeah. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Rick laughed. Jason shook his head slightly and looked away. This was killing him. "Or innocent bystanders, for that matter." He continued, referring to Kate's leg. His eyes settled on my face. “Or maybe…?”  
“Don’t even suggest it. He didn’t touch me.” I told him, wagging my finger.  
"Why didn't you catch on to Rick and I being an item _before_ you made a complete idiot of yourself? Oh, I'm sorry....it was too late. Of course, the real-life version isn't too far a cry from the idiot you play on T.V." Kathrine laughed. "And besides, it's not like that chip of a diamond was much to show off. I'm sure my friends and family would have needed a magnifying glass to see it after they laughed at it."  
Jay opened his mouth to reply to that one and I cut him off. I was really upset by now. So upset, I was close to seeing red.  
"Judging by how high you are on that horse, I'm shocked that you knew what it was to begin with!" I cried. I was the next in line to receive the stare down her nose. I didn't care. I wanted to bust that pretty little nose of hers; bruise her whole damn face with one swift move of my hand, but was taught to only use the move as self-defense.  
"And you might be, what? Some little Edge and Christian ringrat?"  
"I'm Jason's girlfriend, and I don't appreciate the way you're talking to him!"  
“I'm so sorry." She scoffed. "Sorry that you picked to date such a loser! Trust me, honey, there are better qualities in the fish in the lake outside that door right there. Not only that, but they probably have more of a personality and even though they're cold-blooded, I'm sure they're even warmer in bed than the person you have standing beside you. Tell me something: it looks like your face went the way of my knee." I was in shock. Nothing like a little humiliation to start your day off the wrong way. My jaw dropped at the pure rudeness that emanated from her. I turned to Jay, who was actually staring at the floor, shaking his head.  
"Please remind me how long did you say you went out with this blind, cheating _bitch?_ " I asked him. He was entirely intimidated by her. I couldn't get over this whole screwed-up situation.  
"Almost three years." He mumbled through clenched teeth.  
"I commend you for putting up that long with trash like what just came out of her mouth. First day around me with these comments and she would have been out on her ass!" I told him angrily. "And if not _out_ on it, she would have been _knocked down_ on it!" I turned back to her and looked her dead in the eyes, clenching and releasing my fists. "Keep trying me, girl, because I would love to knock you upside your pretty blond head. And for your information, Jason didn’t do this to me. Someone else did, and Jason kicked his ass for it!"  
"Is there a problem here?" Joanie asked.  
"Not really." Rick replied.  
" _She’s_ the problem." I told Joanie. "She's standing here, trying to pick up with Jason right where she left off."  
"Yeah, I heard something about fish and chips coming from her mouth. It was making me a little hungry for kicking some little priss's ass. Aside from thoughts of a lovely main course, that being fish and chips, is Donna here right, Kathrine? Because unless you'd like to be missing your perfect, pretty, straight white teeth, I'd like to suggest that you take your belittling comments elsewhere. You are in the WWF now, Little Miss, and this is _my_ world, and I'm one of many you will have to answer to when you mess with our boy Jason here. He is a solid part of our family in this federation, and I'll be damned if you're going to perform a reprise."  
"Is that a threat?" Kate asked, eyeing Joanie, who matched her stare.  
"I don't make threats, Miss Priss. I make _promises._ " She hissed, bending down slightly so that she was nose to nose with Kate.  
"What if I told you that I'm not scared of you?"  
Joanie reached up quickly and grabbed her hair close to the root in a death grip, twisting it hard and bringing Kate down to her knees almost immediately.  
"I'd call you a liar." Joanie replied, letting go of Kate's hair and tossing her on the floor like a discarded rag doll right beside the kid. "Perhaps she'll keep her big mouth shut next time. Apparently, her mouth likes to write checks that her ass can't cash." Joanie said nonchalantly. "Now play nice, Miss Priss." She turned and began to walk away, then stopped to pat Jay on the shoulder. "Don't concern yourself with that dirty little thing. You have Donna now. She's a wonderful girl who is apparently ready to defend you as much as you defend her. _She_ appreciates you. Just because this cold-blooded fish who’s floundering around on the floor didn't appreciate you, doesn't mean you have two locker rooms full of friends and a current girlfriend who don't, either. Apparently, she's in a pretty natural state down there on her back on the floor, because she's still there, holding her head and not moving around much. Pretty unfortunate. We've got your back, Jay. Any one of us in that locker room. Always remember that."  
"Thanks, Joanie."  
"Miss Priss, one last thing. I hear that the janitor down the hall in green room number two is looking for someone who thinks they're not a cold fish in bed. I think you can make a few easy bucks tonight if you can scrape yourself off of that cold linoleum floor." She said and turned around, then proceeded to walk back into the locker room. That last comment from Joanie to Kate made Jay laugh a little bit.  
"What's wrong, blue jay? No mouth of your own?" Jay looked at Kate, who remained on the floor.  
"You know what, Kate? I'm sick of you, I'm sick of Rick, and I'm sick of your mouth! You did nothing but use me for three years, and everything you ever said to berate me played with my feelings and hammered away at them until I had no real dignity left! The day I came home from busting my ass on the road to buy that ring I planned to give to you was _the_ worst day of my whole life! It makes me sick to look at you and to be breathing the same air as you!" He yelled at her, tears of anger and frustration filling his eyes. "I could never figure out what I ever did to deserve every comment you said to me. All I did was love you! I gave you everything I possibly could! You took that love and used it and abused me! That's all you did!"  
I placed my hand on his shoulder gently.  
"Jay? Hon, come on. You have a match to go over."  
"Don't ever come to me looking for a friend or anything else! You do not exist to me! None of you do!" He told them angrily. We dodged into the green room where Adam, Matt and Jeff sat in total shock and I closed the door behind us. Jay let loose for a moment, grabbing a chair and hurling it full force at the wall in a direction away from myself and his friends.  
"Whoa, Jay. Come here."  
He looked at me, the look in his blue eyes mirroring that of a frightened child. I wrapped my arms around his waist slowly. As he hugged me back and buried his face in my blond hair, I noticed that he was trembling horribly.  
"We heard it all. Is he okay?" Matt asked.  
"Just give him a few minutes to calm down." I told them, seeing the concern on their faces.  
"She likes to make me mad. She's like a lion and I'm her little field mouse. She plays and plays with her mice until they die of exhaustion." He told me. He was so angry that aside from the trembling, I felt teardrops hit my shirt. "All I can think about when I see them is that day I came home and found them together! She acted like she loved me! Why the hell would I catch on before that? I honestly thought she loved me!"  
"Jay? Honey, look at me." He did so and searched my eyes for answers I didn't have. "I love you. I'm here for you." He looked away and nuzzled my hair again, working on calming down. It just wasn't going to happen, though.  
"Jay? We can work on going over this later. We have all afternoon." Adam told his best friend. "I think that right now, anything we discuss will go in one ear and out the other without being processed, which would be a bit dangerous. Go take a walk out by the ring with Donna."  
"Are you sure?" He asked Adam, looking at his trio of friends with wet, red eyes.  
"Yes. Go."  
So we walked out to the ring and sat on the mat.  
"You have to be some kind of saint to put up with this." He told me, staring at his hands. I held up the necklace he gave to me as he glanced up at me.  
"I'm your angel." I reminded him. "Far from a saint, though." He looked back at his hands and sighed.  
"That you are."  
"Talk to me, Jay."  
"They must all think that I'm so weak for letting her get to me like she just did."  
"Is that how she always spoke to you? _That_ condescending?"  
"Things were actually great when we first got together. Later on, however, I'd yap back at her, but she always upped the ante like she did just now until I'd finally get fed up with it and walk away." He became quiet, then looked up at me a few minutes later. "You wanted a piece of her, didn't you?"  
"I still do, but was I really that obvious?" I asked him, giving him a little smile. He laughed slightly, then sniffled and nodded.  
"Angel with a cracked halo." He told me, a shy smile crossing his lips.  
"Hey, man. My mouth can be big when I need it to be. I just don't allow it to be big very often."  
"I know," He laughed lightly, "but thank you."  
"You don't have to thank me." I said modestly. He really didn't. "I couldn’t just stand there and allow her to keep verbally beating you up." He laid back on the mat and stared up at the rafters.  
"What I don't understand is, why did they insist upon humiliating me like that?" He questioned, running his fingers through his hair.  
"Because they're rude, cold-hearted, obnoxious people. Now you never truly answered me, Jay. Is that how that bitch always spoke to you?" I repeated. He concentrated long and hard on the rafters as well as controlling the tears that sparkled in his eyes. "Jason Reso, you know better than to do what you're doing. Talk to me. It's important." He chewed on his lip, then clenched his jaw tightly. He finally sighed shakily and blinked, sending the tears down his face. "Is that how she always spoke to you?" Jay nodded slightly. "How on earth did you put up with that?" He shrugged.  
"I don't know, Angel. I was blind to it all. I mean, you can't have someone standing there demanding the world of you and calling you names and not be hurt by it, but I loved her so much. Just my own stupidity, I suppose."  
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you stood up to her back there. I couldn't be more proud of you for doing so. I'd love nothing more than to kick her ass all over Detroit, but it's not really up to me to knock her down a few pegs. That, sweetheart, is up to you." I told him, sitting beside him and running my hand over his chest. "You know that her doing the name-calling and stuff is the same as a man doing it to a woman. You just don't hear about it as much."  
"Donna, Adam already--"  
"It's still as wrong, Jay. That bitch hurt you. All you did was love her. You said so yourself." I said, my own anger at her starting to return. "Dammit, screw her! Her and Rick both! They're both rotten people! Let her abuse some other guy! She doesn't need to say one word to you anymore!"  
He looked up at me, then reached up and traced my lips with his fingers.  
"I love you, Angel. From the bottom of my heart, I love you."  
"I love you too, Jason. Please remember that when you're out there with her. Don't get upset. Don't risk losing your career over that stupid twit."  
"I won't. There's a big difference between professional and personal."  
"I know." I sighed. Jay sat up and looked me in the eyes. I glanced past him and my heart leapt into my throat. Little Diana Mitchell had run out onto the Armageddon set and was attempting to climb into the helicopter prop, which was slippery to her little hands. The set was made entirely of vintage army paraphernalia, and here she was, unattended. "Jay!" I cried, pointing. He glanced back at Diana, who fell at that moment and bumped her head on a nearby bumper of a jeep prop. She began to wail. Jay slipped beneath the ropes and ran up to the little girl with me right behind him. He scooped her into his arms and sat sideways in the helicopter, trying to calm her down. He stroked her head where she'd bumped it and rocked her gently. She no sooner calmed down than Kate and Rick ran up to us.  
"What the hell happened?" Kate demanded.  
"What the hell do you think?" Jay cried. "She tried to climb in here, lost her grip and fell!"  
"Probably pushed her." Rick sniffed. Jay eyed him.  
"Screw you." He snarled. "Take your kid, walk under that Titan Tron and leave me the hell _alone!_ " He cried, shoving Diana into Kate's arms, jumping out of the helicopter and walking toward the ring. I followed him as he climbed up the steel stairs. He looked back at Kate and Rick, who were following us. "You're going the wrong way. The Titan Tron is behind you." He told them.  
"I want to know what happened, Jay!"  
"I already told you! Dammit, just keep yapping away, Kate. I'm tired of sounding like a broken record around you." He stepped between the ropes and I followed him. He stopped, turned to face her and smacked his forehead lightly. "Silly me! What the hell was I thinking? Two of the biggest things you _don’t_ listen to are explanations and apologies!" He cried. "I'm shocked that such a beautiful, quiet little girl came from you two high and mighty windbags!"  
She stared up at him, her eyes burning with rage. He apparently had her speechless for once.  
"I just want to know what happened, Jason." She demanded through clenched teeth.  
With a look and tone that matched hers, he spoke.  
"I already told you, but since you don’t listen, here it is again. She was trying to climb into the helicopter when her hands slipped and she fell, hitting her head on the bumper of the jeep." He looked from Kate to Rick. "I did not _drop_ her, I did not _push_ her, I did not _shove_ her, I did not _touch_ her. I was sitting here in the ring with Donna when it happened. It was an accident that wouldn't have happened at all, had her dumbassed, stuck up parents been doing their damn job!"  
"Excuse me, Miss Priss and company, but I have a student waiting for me in the ring. Due to time constraints, I only have a couple of hours to give my lesson, which needs to remain uninterrupted. Now, before I make you set that child down and I beat your ass for tormenting my friends, I suggest that you make yourself very, very scarce!" Amy said, getting right in Kate's face. Kate sniffed and walked backstage with Rick and Diana. The Hardys and Stephanie walked out to ringside, followed by Adam. Amy got in the ring and looked Jason in the eyes. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good. I believe you have a match to go over." Amy said, motioning to Adam and the Hardys as Stephanie stepped into the ring. Jay put up his hands defenselessly and stepped out of the ring.  
I watched Amy and Stephanie carefully and silently, all the while thanking God that I was cleared to be able to do things like this so soon after what Charlie had done. I copied some things like bulldogs and DDT's, catching on quickly. It was actually a lot of fun until Amy decided to show me how to take the bulldogs and such. She and Stephanie looked at me.  
"Do you have a high pain tolerance?" Stephanie asked me seriously. I nodded, pointing to my face.  
"And since I play goalie on my hockey team, so I'd like to think that I do."  
"Right. I forgot about last weekend. Goalie, huh?" Amy said.  
"I kick the guys' asses all the time. Just some of my coworkers and I get together and play. Nothing big and fancy."  
The first couple of times, I learned exactly _why_ they called it a bulldog. It hurt like hell because I was taking the bump wrong and landing right on my nose.  
"Keep ramming her face into the mat, Amy, and she'll look like a bulldog!" Jay cried. "Don't do that to me!"  
"I won't, Jay. You already had a DOG OF ANOTHER KIND FOR A GIRLFIREND before!" Amy screamed in the direction of the Titan Tron. "Now, elbows, girl. Come on!" She told me. After a few more times, I finally got it down. After a couple of hours had passed, Stephanie looked out toward the Titan Tron.  
"Hi dad!" She called. There stood Vince McMahon, walking toward us.  
"Good evening, everyone. Hi Steph. I couldn't help but watch the little tutorial that's been going on here this afternoon, and I must say that I'm impressed by the knowledge of your student here. She catches on very quickly."  
"This is --" Stephanie began. Her father climbed the stairs and placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder.  
"We've met. We actually met in South Florida a couple of months ago. The lost reporter...Donna...?"  
"Andrews." I said, wondering where this was leading.  
"Hello again, Miss Andrews. Please allow me to explain. Your boyfriend Jason came to me last weekend with a little problem concerning a pair of wrestlers I signed recently. The storyline I have planned for his and Adam Copeland's characters involves a split in the team to give each of them a well-deserved and past-due push into the singles division. Mitchell's character was originally designed for this split, and after the split was complete, she was supposed to turn on them and that's where Blake's character comes in as a major rival. However, Jason expressed some concerns to me, and I've thought about it a lot over the past week. After seeing you learning and catching on as quickly as you have with my daughter and Amy here, I wanted to put an offer on the table for you to be Jason's valet to the ring after the team splits up."  
I blinked as my jaw dropped from total shock.  
"For real?" I questioned, looking around at everyone in disbelief. Vince looked at me with a straight face.  
"I am very serious. Just give me a yes or a no. If it's a yes, I'll have the contract drawn up first thing tomorrow morning."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

## Chapter 16

My eyes focused on Jay. Could I handle the road? Being away from my family and friends? Leave my job? Leave my routine?  
Then again, the words Janie had been preaching to me since I moved to Michigan came to mind:  
"You have done nothing since you moved here. Get out and do something! Make some friends, meet a guy. Get the hell out of this dead-end job and find something that'll pay you what you're worth!"  
I looked from Jason to Vince and proceeded to stretch out my hand.  
"Yes. I'd love to be a part of your federation, sir." I told him, shaking his hand.  
"Wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go backstage." As soon as Vince disappeared backstage, I pointed to Jay.  
"You knew about this, didn't you?"  
He grinned.  
"It was my idea."  
I threw an empty water bottle at him playfully, making him laugh.  
"Brat!"  
"That's me!" He chuckled, throwing the water bottle back into the ring.   
"Makes me wonder what's next up your sleeve. You are so damn sneaky!"  
"At least I do nice things behind your back." He pointed out lightly.  
"True."  
After a while longer of learning, watching and practicing, we all walked backstage. I sat with Collette and the kids in the green room because the wrestlers had to get ready. Danny, Steven and Jake joined us shortly afterward. As the boys sat in one corner and chatted, Collette and I sat on the couch did the same.  
"I remember Mick telling me about Jason when he first came into the federation. He was quiet and quite the loner, despite his being best friends with Adam. When Mick introduced Noelle and Dewey to him, they sparked some life into him. He loves the children, like I said before, and he told Mick and I both that he'd like to have his own someday. He's a very kind and generous person, and for that girl to have cheated on him like that was just heartbreaking." She told me, watching her children wrestle on the floor. "I haven't seen Jason in three months, but I noticed the change in him immediately. I also saw a light in his eyes that I've never seen before. He's obviously very happy with you, Donna."  
"I hope so." I replied, watching the kids, too.   
"She's not liked by anyone in the locker room, is she?"  
"Nope."  
"Because when Mick doesn't give someone a chance to redeem themselves and flat out dislikes somebody, then I know that there's something very, _very_ wrong."  
"Well, damn, Collette. Jason bought an engagement ring for her and came home to that!" I told her, tears stinging my eyes. "To hear Jay tell the story, it sounds like his whole world crumbled at his feet. I can't even imagine it because it hurts _me!_ " I became silent quickly because Jay opened the door and walked in.  
"Christian!" Noelle cried, immediately switching her attention from Dewey to Jason. He picked Noelle up into his arms and walked up to us. He shifted Noelle after a couple of minutes and touched my face.  
"You've been crying. What’s wrong?" He asked me.  
"Nothing."  
"Donna..."  
I shook my head. "We were talking about when you came into the WWF and your situation with Kate."  
"Which situation, Donna?" He asked, his tone becoming sharp. "The day I wanted to ask her to marry me or the situation that went down a few hours ago?"  
Noelle looked from me, to her mother, and then to Jay.  
"Christian, can I get down?" She asked, sensing the change in his voice. He set her down gently and stood up and stared at me. I forced myself to look him in the eyes.   
"The day you went home with the ring." I mumbled. He took a deep breath.  
"Amazing. Who else knows? Who else have you 'talked about it’ with? I bet you told Maria, didn't you? Is it gonna be in that story you two are having published?" I looked away from him, then got up quickly and ran down the hall. I ended up running right into Chris and fell backwards on the floor.  
"Alright--! Donna?" He questioned, helping me to my feet.  
"I have to go! I have to leave!" I said. It was always a solution for me. I hated to seriously fight. I could argue with a lot of people, but there were some I couldn't or didn't want to argue with, and arguments in my eyes always led to more physical altercations. I didn’t know any better. It was how I grew up and what I always seemed to fall into.  
"No you don't. What is it?" He said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “You’re panicking. What happened? What’s going on?”  
"I told Maria and now Jay knows I did, and I made her swear that she wouldn't put it in the story and that she wouldn't tell anyone! It bothers me! I want to cry every time I think about it! I hate her and I hate what they did to him! It was all a mind game!" I wailed. "I'm such a horrible person! I know I’m horrible and I need to be punished!"  
"Whoa! Punished? Wait a second. Donna, if talking about something that bothers you makes you a horrible person, doesn't it make a lot of others horrible, too?"  
"If I didn't care about him, it wouldn't bother me, and I wouldn't talk about it! I don't talk about it like I'm gossiping! It truly hurts me! I just don't want him to hate me for talking it out with Collette and Maria! I swear I won't do it again!" I sobbed hysterically. Chris let go of my shoulders and I reached up and sobbed into my hands. I felt arms around my shoulders moments later, strong and tight.  
"I don't hate you, Donna. I know you care." Jay said softly. "I love you very much."  
"I'm sorry! I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!"  
"No, I'm the one who should apologize for getting angry in the first place. It was absolutely silly of me. Collette's known about it as long as everyone else here. As for Maria, she's your best friend. Of course you're gonna talk things out with her. I'm just still irate from the confrontation we had with Kate and Rick, although _that’s_ not even a feasible excuse for getting angry at you. I'm sorry, Angel."  
I nodded, wrapping my arms around his waist.  
"Thank you, Jay."  
"Thank you for caring. I know it would've been harder to hear all that trash from her stupid mouth if you weren't here."  
"She is stupid." I told him with a slight laugh.  
"Now what are you laughing at?" Jay asked me lightly. I looked up at him and he proceeded to wipe the tears off of my face.  
"What Joanie said to Kate."  
"Yes...that was very good." He laughed, thinking about it himself.  
"Are you guys alright? Collette said that you guys were arguing." Mick asked.  
"We're fine." I told him.  
"Just my bad day intruding on our good relationship." Jason replied.  
Kate walked down the hall dressed in what I assumed was her wrestling gear--knee-high black leather boots, really short hot pink shorts and a white tank top that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.  
"Damn! Terri wears more than that!" Mick chuckled.  
"She didn't have a damn thing up there three years ago. What the hell did she do? Hold Mattel hostage?" Jay joked loudly. She looked over at us and glared at him. "You know, Kate, there are more of your kind out there on the corner somewhere. You'd fit right in."  
Good. he was cutting her a little verbally. She more than deserved to be humiliated for a change.  
"Very funny." She said, walking up to us. "You're enjoying this?"  
"Actually, yeah. You know, I wonder how Rick likes those things when you go swimming. I'm sure that they make great floatation devices!" Jay laughed. Her face became red with anger. "Seriously, though, who'd you stomp on and sleep with to get them? Some guy that picked you up at the corner?"  
"Rick paid for them." She told him, her tone very heated.  
"And how proud he must be, knowing that you look like you robbed some poor Barbie doll of her only bodily possession! At least whoever else has them here had the surgeon make them look real." He was having fun cutting _her_ down for a change. I was hysterical and Mick was trying to hide his own laughter but was unsuccessful.  
"Having fun at my expense. How--"  
"Technically, it's Rick's expense. You're just the one flaunting it."  
"You have stooped to a new low, Jason Reso."  
He gasped, mocking her, putting one hand on his chest and the other on her arm.  
"Oh dear, am I embarrassing you?" He asked, then took his hand off of her arm, made a distasteful face and wiped it on his shirt, then looked at her gravely. "How does it feel when the tables are turned, Kate? Not very good, huh?"  
She glared at him and his only response was to raise his eyebrows at her.  
"Screw you, Jason."  
"No thanks. Been there, done that." He told her coldly. She sniffed and walked away. Jason looked at Mick and I, slightly proud of himself. "I hate pulling that stoop-to-their-level crap because comments like those are certainly not who I am, but treat people the way you want to be treated. I'm tired of taking that garbage from her."  
"I don't think she expected it from you. That's the best part."  
"Well, she's used to me being quiet and unresponsive."  
"I think she'd better get used to you having a mouth." Mick laughed. "Listen...Noelle wanted to tell you something before everyone goes out to the audience." Mick told Jay. We walked back to the green room. Noelle ran up to Jay and held the sunglasses out to him.  
"Here, Christian."  
"You hold onto them, sweetheart. I have other ones I can wear."  
"Can I wear them for your match?"  
"You can wear them for the whole night if you want." He replied, picking her up. She put the yellow sunglasses back on and giggled.  
"Thank you." She said, giving him a hug, then looking him in the eyes. "Good luck in your match."  
"Aww, thanks."  
She gave him a kiss on the cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder.  
"Okay, ladies, gents and kids...it is that time. We have Heat and then our main event." Shane announced, then walked up to me. "Welcome to the WWF family, Miss Andrews." He told me, shaking my hand.  
"Thank you, Shane."   
He walked out, being followed by Danny, Jake and Steven, then Noelle gave Jay one more hug and she, Collette and Dewey walked out.  
I gave Jay a hug myself, then looked into his eyes.  
"Good luck in your match, Jason. Remember what I said about after we get back to my house."  
"How could I forget something like that?" He replied with an evil grin. I smiled, touching his mesh shirt, then slipping my hands beneath it to hug him tightly. He tilted my chin up and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips.   
"Get out! Go on!" Matt joked, scaring the daylights out of me.  
"Shut the hell up, man." Jay told him. I removed my arms from around Jay's waist and smacked Matt on the shoulder.  
"You scared the hell out of me!"  
"I know--I saw you jump about a mile!" He laughed.  
"Just you wait, mister. I'll be on the road with you guys soon and your payback will come when you least expect it!"  
"Okay." He said, still laughing a little. Adam and Jeff walked up to us, dressed in their gear.  
"While you're all here, Maria told me to tell you all good luck and that she'll be watching."  
"I'd have to wonder what was wrong with her if she _wasn’t_ going to be watching." Jeff laughed. "Thoughtful of her to send well wishes, though."  
"Definitely." Matt agreed.  
Shane walked up to us and stretched his arm out to me.  
"Ready Donna?"  
"Sure am. Bye guys! Have fun out there!" I told them. Shane escorted me out to ringside by the boys, Collette, and the kids.  
"Enjoy the show. See you after." Shane told us.  
"Thanks Shane."  
I felt a slight tugging on my shirt and looked down. There sat Noelle, holding the yellow sunglasses out to me.  
"Wanna wear them, Donna?"  
"You wear them. They look way cooler on you anyway."  
"Sure?"  
"Oh definitely." She smiled.  
"If you want to wear them later, you can."  
"Thanks."   
Rick walked up to Collette and asked her if she'd mind keeping an eye on Diana during the show. Collette gave him a questioning look, glanced at me, then looked back at him.  
"Mister Blake, I have two young ones of my own to contend with. I'm very sorry."  
So, Rick looked at me. There was no hostility in his eyes like there had been earlier.   
"Would you mind?"  
"Not at all." I sighed. It beat having her either alone and unsupervised or ignored backstage. Upon hearing my reply, he practically tossed her over the barricades at me, then ran backstage. Now she stood on our side, looking up at me sadly. My heart fell. The place was packed, so the only place left for her to sit was on my lap. I pulled her up on my lap and she sat up straight, staring straight ahead. She didn't want to rest against me, which I found a little odd. She stuck her thumb in her mouth cautiously and sucked on it as her eyes scanned the crowd on the other side of the Joe Louis Arena. She sighed and rubbed the velvet of her dress with her free hand slowly. I reached up and touched the back of her head gently, feeling for a bump from the accident she'd had a few hours before. I found it and she looked up at me, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I'm sorry, darlin'. I know it must hurt." I told her, stroking her hair, which was the color of and as thin as gold thread. I couldn't get over how absolutely beautiful this child was.   
"I can't believe that guy. He must not care about that child at all to just fork her over to strangers. Who knows who -- or what -- he might have asked next. Gives me the chills just thinking about it." Collette said.  
"I was trying not to think about that, which is partly why I said I'd do it." I told her with a sigh, thinking about several things I saw over the course of the day regarding Diana and her parents. Rick's questioning how Diana never listens. His shoving her to the side to hug Kate and not acknowledging her after he had done so, his whole lack of concern when she'd bumped her head, and not to mention what had just happened. Kate was also very cold to her; almost resentful. "He doesn't care, and neither does she." I said sadly, thinking the same thing that had crossed my mind about many kids I'd known in my 12 years of either teaching or tutoring. It killed me. On the outside, she appeared to have everything, and inside, she had nothing love-wise and was afraid to be a kid. I gathered that from how cautiously she had put her thumb in her mouth.   
"Then why have a kid?" Collette asked. "There are solutions if you don't want one. Other people want kids."  
"I don't know, Collette." I mumbled as Sunday Night Heat began. About halfway through, they began to show the montage of the rivalry between Edge and Christian and the Hardys, stemming from when Matt and Jeff won the tag belts for the second time and going up until the interference caused them to lose the belts to the Dudleys. Now they were doing this Hell in a Cell to ‘solve’ the rivalry. Noelle watched with her eyes glued on the screen, as did I. On my lap, Diana pointed to the Titan Tron, seeing Jay. "He's your friend no matter what mommy and daddy say." I told her, sighing and stroking her hair again lightly. After the montage, Michael Cole appeared on-screen in between Matt and Jeff.  
"Hardy Boyz, what are your thoughts going into tonight's match?" He asked, holding the microphone up to one angry-looking Matt Hardy, who took it in his hand.  
"Edge? Christian? You may think that you're being funny by interrupting our matches. You may think it's cute that you've tried everything humanly possible to make us lose our tag belts, and you finally succeeded. You also..." He paused for a moment. "may think that you'll get off easy tonight with a win or that it'll be an easy match. Think again, surfer boys! There is no way out except by pinfall or submission, so enjoy your time in the hospital!" He cried, shoving the mic back at Michael Cole, who then turned to Jeff.   
"Jeff, do you have anything to say to Edge and Christian?"  
Jeff looked at the camera, then took the mic.   
"Fun and games are 'sooo totally over', boys!" He said, giving the mic back. I giggled. It wasn't his style to speak like that.   
"I hope that match will be okay for Noelle to sit through. She's enjoyed the past matches by them, but these cell matches are different."  
"I'm sure it will be okay." I told her. Diana looked up at me.  
"Drink?" She asked me in a soft voice.   
"Come on." I sighed.  
"Can't blame her for the negligence of her parents." Collette said.  
"So true." So I got up and picked her up and took her to get a juice. I fixed it with a straw and handed it to her. She stood there, staring back at me with the giant sapphires she had for eyes. "What? That's for you. Drink. You said you wanted a drink, darlin'." She sipped slowly on the juice through her straw. We made our way back and I sat her on my lap again. She sat there straight up like a statue again, every muscle in her tiny body rigid. "Did I miss anything?"  
"Nah."  
"You know what's gonna happen, don't you? Seeing this one on my lap when he comes out here is gonna floor him."   
"Why? She's a kid. He likes kids. It's not her fault that her parents don't care."  
"I know...but...I don't know." I told her indecisively, the images of Diana looking at her parents and of her watching them flat out ignore her irritated me. I reached forward and gave the little girl a big hug, which finally encouraged her to rest more comfortably in my arms, now relaxed and content.  
My mind raced throughout the whole first half of Armageddon. I was snapped back to attention by Noelle tugging on my shirt sleeve and pointing to the Titan Tron where the montage was playing again.  
Great. I wondered if Jay was told backstage that Diana was being watched by me or if he didn't know. What would his reaction be when he saw it? I suddenly dreaded going backstage after the show.   
"Wanna wear the sunglasses?" Noelle offered. I smiled.  
"No thanks, hon." Noelle then held out the sunglasses to Diana, who started to reach for them, then drew her tiny hand back slightly and looked up at me. My heart fell again. A three-year-old silently asking permission to be a kid. What the hell was Kate expecting out of this child? "Go ahead, darlin'." She looked at Noelle, took the sunglasses, and put them on upside down.  
"No. Like this." Noelle giggled, flipping them over and putting them on Diana's face the right way. Diana looked up at me and smiled a tiny smile. I smiled back at her. The lights dimmed and Edge's music blasted throughout the arena as the cell began its slow descent to the floor surrounding the ring. Despite the little girl in my lap, a smile still crossed my face when I saw Jason and Adam come out to the ring, hamming it up. They played up to the crowd and when Jay stood up on the ropes in front of us, he gave us a little wave. Noelle and I both waved back. Diana, who was still clutching her juice for dear life with one hand, pointed at him, then waved anxiously with her free hand. Jay smiled and waved back to her, stepping off of the ropes, and he and Adam handed their sunglasses to the referee, who in turn, handed them to the timekeeper. The cell lowered around them, leaving the door to be Matt and Jeff's only way of entering the ring. Jay focused on me momentarily and his eyes darkened, then he turned to Adam and motioned toward some areas around the cell, talking animatedly as Adam nodded. I couldn’t really determine whether he was upset about me watching Diana or not, considering he’d waved to her earlier.  
The Hardys' music echoed throughout the arena next and they walked down to the ring, exchanged words for a moment, then stepped inside the cell, the door being locked behind them. The two teams eyed each other, exchanged some quick words, and got started.   
Christian got Jeff in the corner and was just hammering away. Judging by the brutality of the blows Jeff was receiving, one could guess that the real-life persona of Christian's was a little bit upset. Matt, who had managed to knock Edge to the mat in pain, ran over and yanked Christian off of his brother and clotheslined him. Jeff got up at the same time as Edge, who tried to execute a spear, but ended up going face first in between the ropes and onto the floor after Matt jumped out of the way. With the momentum on the Hardys' side, Matt pulled Christian to his feet and whiplashed him into the corner. Matt then landed on his hands and knees in front of him, and Jeff pulled off a Poetry in Motion. Matt took advantage of this and attempted a pinfall, but Christian kicked out of it. Beside me, Noelle was jumping around and cheering.  
All four men eventually got to their feet and Jeff climbed onto the ropes from behind and flipped off, performing a Swanton Bomb, landing on all three men. Now they all lay on the mat again, out of breath and barely moving.  
"I have to credit that boy with having a hell of a lot of guts." Collette told me. I nodded in agreement. The guys got to their feet, and Jeff, seeing that Edge was a little dazed, knocked him down to attempt the second pinfall of the match, which also turned out to be unsuccessful. Christian and Matt exchanged words and blows in the small space between the cell and the ring. Matt used his entire body to finally send Christian full force into the fencing, cutting him on the forehead. I covered my mouth, seeing Jay's face turn red from the blood.  
"Christian!" Noelle screeched.  
"Noelle, he's okay." I assured her. She hugged her mother tightly, still watching the match. Matt obviously had the best of Christian right now, instigating the wound to keep him from going anywhere.   
Meanwhile, in the ring, Jeff was on the losing end of things, braced against the turnbuckle as Edge kicked him in the ribs repeatedly. In between blows, Jeff got his foot up in Edge's face, sending him to the mat.  
When all four guys ended up in the floor area between the ring and the cell, Kate walked down to the ring and "snuck" some wire cutters in to Edge. Edge looked at her questioningly and took them from her, then she ran backstage. Edge turned and quickly nailed Jeff with them, then went to work on cutting the fence. Just as he cut a big enough space to slip through, Matt knocked him down, sending the cutters flying beneath the mat. Christian, in turn, sent Matt to the floor with a bulldog, then proceeded to slip out of the cell through the opening that Edge had cut. His forehead was easily going to require a few stitches. He began to climb up the outside of the cell and Jeff was on his feet and right behind him. I covered my eyes, then opened them as they both kept going towards the top of the cell.  
"Don't do this guys!" I cried. "Oh my god!"  
They reached the top of the cell, battling it out as Edge and Matt remained on their backs where Jeff and Christian had left them, motionless and recuperating as they watched their accomplices on the top of the cell.  
The momentum swung wildly between the two, until Jeff sent Christian flying off of the edge of the cage and onto the Spanish announce table. Noelle stared with wide eyes, and I'm sure my expression matched hers.  
"Is he still okay, Donna?"  
"I hope so." I replied, not sure. I wasn't prepared for what was about to come next, although I should have been. Jeff removed his shirt and did a Swanton Bomb off of the top of the cell, right on top of Christian. Now they both laid there on the remains of the Spanish announce table, not moving.  
Everyone in the arena was on their feet, applauding, cheering, or both.  
Edge and Matt began to stir from their positions on the floor and finished up the match with Matt getting the pinfall. The Hardys' music blasted throughout the arena as all four men remined laying where they had fallen out of pure exhaustion. The audience remained on their feet, giving both teams a standing ovation. The bar had been raised again and the two teams flew over it with ease.  
My joy only lasted for a few seconds when I was snapped back to attention by Noelle.   
"They're not moving, Donna! Christian and Jeff aren't moving!" She cried, her eyes fixated on the remains of the Spanish announce table.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

## Chapter 17

I just stood there, waiting as they lifted the cell. Edge and Matt stood up slowly and made their way over to the crushed table. Matt managed to help Jeff to his feet and then the duo walked out. Noelle looked at me.  
"He's not okay, is he?"  
Just as I opened my mouth to respond to the teary-eyed seven-year-old, Jason sat up very slowly, his head still bleeding profusely from the hellacious cut that adorned his forehead. I pointed to him and Noelle looked on as the crowd cheered. Tears fell down her small face out of relief as Adam braced Jay against him and the two walked backstage at the pace of the snail.  
I sighed shakily and sat back down to watch the rest of the event. The only other match I even remotely cared about tonight was Jericho's, in which he retained his title, thanks to interference from Rick. After the show was over, I sat with Diana, who was sleeping in my arms.  
"Are you okay?" Collette asked me.  
"Yeah."  
"I've been in the same boat you're in right now and it's no fun; the worrying, the praying, the anticipation."  
"Mommy, I wanna see daddy and Christian." Noelle said as I gave the sunglasses back to her after I gently removed them from Diana's face. Noelle put them back on, then looked at her mother again. The boys talked excitedly as we all followed Collette backstage. Paul stopped the boys and talked to them as we continued on. We ran into Mick next, who picked up his daughter and tousled his son's hair.  
"Are Jason and Jeff okay?" Collette asked.  
"For the most part, yes. Jay needed some stitches on his forehead, and he has a sprained right forearm. As for Jeff, that kid has the damnedest luck of anyone I know. He's sore from that Swanton Bomb, but other than that he has a scraped back from the table and a massive headache."  
"And Matt and Adam?"  
"The normal bumps and bruises, but Jay is definitely the one who got the brunt of it."  
"Damn..." I swore, shaking my head.  
"Daddy? Where's Christian? Please can I see him?"  
"Get in line." I said.  
"Come on, guys." We followed Mick to where Adam sat, watching Jay get tended to by the EMT's. I was thankful that he'd showered and changed before we got there. I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and saw Rick standing there. He took Diana out of my arms without a word of appreciation or a concern over how she was, woke her up and practically dragged the sleepy child down the hall. No 'thank you', nothing. I shook my head.  
"What an ungrateful son-of-a-bitch." I swore. Mick put Noelle down and she ran up to Jay after the EMT finished up.  
"Hey Noelle!" Jay said, pulling himself out of the chair painfully and picking her up. She touched the gauze patch on his head gently.  
"Hi, Christian. You scared me though. I thought you were gonna need one of those rolly-beds." She mumbled, sniffling. He hugged her as best as he could with his tightly wrapped arm.  
"I'm sorry, Noelle." He told her.  
"Are you okay now, though?"  
"Yeah, sweetie. I'm fine." He looked up at me. I sniffled, tears glittering in my own eyes. He waved me over. "Noelle, I need to talk to Donna alone for a little while. Mick, are you and your family gonna be here for a while?"  
"Yes."  
"Okay. I'll be back in a bit then." Jay pulled me into a green room and sat on the couch slowly, his body obviously overrun with pain.  
"Are you okay?" I asked. He looked up at me and opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "Stupid question...stitches, an almost broken arm, a sore body. I'm very blond today. I'm sorry about the kid; he shoved her over the barricades at me and I didn't want her to be kicked aside or ignored for four hours, and I know that you must be mad at me, but she's only three and I didn't want to think about her the whole time and...I'm sorry!"  
"I'm not mad."  
"I bought her a juice and gave her a hug and let Noelle put your sunglasses on her and enjoyed her smile when she put them on. She was afraid to put them on and I had to tell her she could drink the juice and it took her so long to sit close to me. I don't think she gets any hugs and kisses from those two rats! She fell asleep in my arms because she was so content!" I continued, my sentences coming out fast in an effort to get my whole side out before he could yell at me.  
"You're going to make me stand up, aren't you?" He asked. I blinked, sending the tears down my cheeks and looked at him, finally allowing my mind to pause. "I'm not mad. You did a very nice thing for that little girl."  
"Huh?"  
"You did what you did for Diana, not Rick."  
"You're not mad?"  
He sighed.  
"No." He told me. "Donna, you obviously love kids as much as I do. Trust me, I wish that I could be as close to Diana as I am to the other wrestlers' kids. Those two loser parents of hers are downright intolerable, and I want to stay as far away from them as possible. That's all there is to it. As a result, I can’t be as close to her as I am to, say, Mick’s kids." He took my hand and pulled me down to sit beside him. He put his arms around me and I curled up against his chest. "I do want kids of my own someday, though." He told me.  
"That's good to know." I told him, looking up at him. I smiled and he kissed me gently on the lips, his wet hair falling around our faces.  
"Reso! The autograph hounds want to see you!" Chris cried as he walked in. "Come on, jerky!"  
"Damn..." He laughed.  
"Later, Jay. I swear." I told him.  
"Okay." I helped him to his feet and he walked out the door with Chris. I followed them, then put my coat on and walked outside for a few minutes for some peace and quiet. I sat far into the shadows so nobody could see me. I was just about to go back inside when Rick and Kate came out with Diana, who was wailing from being woke up and sleepy.  
"She's as much of a wimp as her father. Dammit, Diana, shut up!" Kate cried as Rick unlocked the car. She put Diana in the car seat and knelt in front of it to buckle the flailing, crying little girl into it. "Always wants to be the boss or screw around entirely. Diana, shut up! I swear if she ever talks about that dumbass ex of mine...auggh! This buckle sucks!"  
"Diana has no clue that he's her real father. Let's keep it that way, unless you want him in our lives again full-time. The crazy ass will end up killing himself sooner or later if he keeps taking bumps like the ones he did tonight."  
Kate looked at Rick from the backseat.  
"Good. Think he'd learn about shoving women through coffee tables then? Probably not!"  
"Kate..." Rick moaned, rolling his eyes.  
"SHUT UP, Diana!" Kate screamed in her face, making her wail even harder.  
"I wish that you'd get over it, Kathrine. You know damn well it was an accident and that I'm the one who shoved him into you."  
"I'm fine with blaming him, just like I blame him for this screaming brat!" She hollered. "Shut the hell up! Damn this child!"  
"Stop screaming in her face! You’re making it worse. That child was also your fault for screwing around with the pills!"  
"You can shut up too!" She yelled, finally snapping the belt to the car seat and getting out of the car to look her fiance in the eyes. "Don't you _ever_ say that again!"  
"You are a heartless bitch, Kate. You know that's what I think of you. You did it on purpose to screw around with him. Be honest." He snarled. "You don't want Diana. You never did. You can't stand her because she looks more like him than you! Cassie told me about what you had planned!"  
"Cassie's a damn idiot!"  
"Sometimes I wonder exactly why I love you at all." He told her, getting in the car. She followed suit and they closed their doors, still arguing loudly as they pulled away. I stood there in the dark, shaking my head in disbelief. Jay had absolutely no idea, and they didn't want him to know. Now I knew. Amy walked out to the parking lot with Matt right behind her.  
"Donna? Are you out here?" She called. I walked out of the shadows. "Donna? Are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost."  
"I'm okay. I'm just a little cold." I mumbled. I didn't know what to do. He'd already had the day from hell and was looking forward to some downtime with me, and I knew this when I wasn't supposed to. Matt put his leather jacket over my shoulders as we slipped back inside. Jay, Adam and Jeff walked up to us, and Jay looked me in the eyes.  
"Are you okay, Angel?" He asked me softly, putting his hands on my face to warm it up. I swallowed and blinked, then sighed.  
"Yeah." I responded, my voice barely crossing my lips for him to hear my response. How could I possibly explain to him what I had just overheard in the parking lot? I slipped my arms around him sadly. My chest hurt from simply thinking about it.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

## Chapter 18

I looked over Jay's stitches and arm when we got home, silently debating what I should do about what I knew about Diana. Based on what I had seen over the course of the day, I didn’t feel that I really had a choice. Meanwhile, Jay stopped me and made me look at him in the eyes.  
"Donna, I don't care if we do anything else tonight. You have to tell me what's eating at your mind. You barely ate and hardly said one word at the meal after the show. What's wrong? Angel, we can work it out. Whatever it is that's bothering you like this happened while you were outside."   
I stood up and walked across the room. I couldn't bear to look him in the eyes. I sensed a reprise of his emotions from when he told me about the day with the ring about to happen. I took in a shaky breath and looked down at my hands.   
"I was out of sight in the shadows behind The Joe when Kate and Rick came out with Diana. They were arguing and she was complaining about Diana as well as yelling at her and in her face."  
"So? Diana was screaming from exhaustion as they were leaving. Of course the rich bitch was gonna complain and act like that. She doesn't know the first thing about comforting a child."  
"Jay, Rick isn't Diana's father." I mumbled quickly, still staring at my hands.  
"Another shocker."  
"Diana is yours."  
"What?!" He cried in disbelief. "Impossible. She was --"  
"Screwing around with the pills and not taking them. They don't want you to know. She planned to play some sort of really, really awful mind game on you. It went wrong, though."  
"That whole relationship was one whole mind game. Are you sure you heard right?"  
I just stood there, silent, then sat on my beanbag chair, facing the wall.  
"I'm sorry, Jason. I heard right, trust me. I couldn’t believe it, but truth be known, look at that child. I mean, really look at her. She looks like you. She doesn’t look like either one of them."  
"Angel, please look at me." I glanced at him as he walked over to me. "Does this mean the end of us?" He questioned sadly as he knelt beside me. I looked into his blue eyes and touched his cheek gently with my hand.   
"No, it doesn't. That would be entirely heartless of me to end something so good because of that." He wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head on his shoulder. I was very much in love with him and I'd be damned if those two were going to get in the way of our relationship. Now the question remained: how do we approach this situation?

***********

We ended up talking our way into the physical stuff later that evening and I was thankful that I had a holiday off from work. I laid awake on my bed the next morning for two hours, listening to my Enya CD as I cuddled up behind Jay.  
As much as I wanted to strangle Kathrine, I thought that perhaps I should work with her instead in order to spend time with Diana. Use Kate in order to get a relationship going with the kid. Jay pointed out during our conversation the night before that Diana acted like she did around me most likely because Kate was teaching her how to act proper, as in sitting up straight at the table and not to speak unless she was spoken to. Nothing wrong with please and thank you, of course, but damn. Lighten up a little.  
"What a mess." I said to myself out loud.  
"Angel?" Jay mumbled sleepily.  
"It's okay. I'm fine." I replied. He reached back and touched my hip, then pulled his hand back and went back to sleep. I kissed him right between his shoulder blades, then got up and got dressed. I walked downstairs and began to make myself something to eat when I heard my mother walk into the kitchen to make coffee. "Mom? Can I talk to you?"  
"Of course, honey."  
"Jason and I have a great relationship. A very open one. From day one, in fact. He felt secure with me as just a fan to open his heart to me, and I feel like I've done something very special to deserve such a wonderful person in my life. We talk about a lot of things. We had a really turbulent day yesterday though, and he took some big bumps and is probably going to feel it all today."  
"Ryan and I watched that one." My mom told me, shaking her head.  
"It was excellent, but a little difficult to watch. Anyway, Jay's ex is in the WWF now and they had a couple of heated conversations yesterday before the show." I said, sitting down with her at the table as she drank her coffee and I ate my breakfast. I went on to tell her everything. "Why can't she just let go? Why does she have to be mad at him over things that weren't even his fault? He did everything for her and she took advantage and wrecked it."  
"Donna, first off, I think that your offer from Vince is exceptional and an unusual opportunity to spend more time with Jay and your newfound friends. As far as this situation with the kid goes, I think that his best bet is to simply confront her about it. If he ignores the fact that the little girl is his daughter now that he knows, it could come back to haunt him somewhere down the line. I'm just glad that you felt that it was important enough to tell him."  
"Well, the kid isn't wanted by that woman. She's teaching her how to be a stuck-up little brat like her. You saw the match -- did you see the girl with the wire cutters?"  
"The Barbie doll twin?"  
I nearly choked on my bagel from laughing.  
"Mom!"  
"Well geez, Donna. Come on."  
"Jay said the same thing directly to her face, that's why I'm laughing!"  
"Well, how can you not notice that those suckers are fake?"  
Once I calmed down, I looked at her.  
"Well, she's his ex."  
"She looks nasty."  
"In more ways than one." I told her.  
"So you found this out by sitting outside?"  
"Way out of sight in the shadows."  
"What a mess." She said, echoing my thoughts from earlier. She looked up and I looked back to see Jay coming down the stairs slowly; painfully.  
"I will have to hurt Mick or Vince if they book a match for me in Chicago tonight." He joked.  
"Would you like something to eat, Jason?" My mom asked. He looked up at her, pain filling his eyes.  
"Please?"  
"Okay." She said. "Donna was talking to me about what happened yesterday. I want to tell you that the best way to deal with this is to approach her about it."  
"She is so inapproachable. I don't know how I can possibly get close to that little girl. I held her in my arms yesterday, calming her down after her accident, and I felt so bad for her. Kate won't deal with me on a normal, one-on-one level. She insists upon cutting me down in front of people I know and I got her back a little bit last night although it’s not even close to my style out of the ring, but she thinks that that's the only way to deal with someone."  
"Then show her that it's not."  
"You don't know how she is."  
She turned around and waved her spatula at him.  
"Yes, I do. Their father was like that, only more so. He was a very nasty man. He wanted to take my children away from me and all he'd ever do when he saw us was cut me down in public. Didn't matter who I was with or where I was. Needless to say, I took him to court and got full custody of my children." She replied, turning back around to finish making his breakfast. He pondered this and I touched his arm lightly.  
"Are you okay?" I asked.  
"It's still sinking in. I can't believe that she'd do that. I'm in total shock."  
"I had to tell you. I couldn't keep it in."  
"I knew that there was something really wrong when Jeff called you the 'bandwagon-jumping valet' last night at dinner and your only response was 'okay'. Normally, you would have wanted to at least verbally kick his ass." Jay laughed.  
"He called me what?" I demanded.  
"See? Now you’re paying attention. You were really out of it last night. You heard me."  
"Jeff's going to hurt more tonight than he does this morning after I get my hands around his neck!"  
We were going to see Jeff later that day when we drove out to Chicago in a couple of hours for RAW.  
"Uh-oh. Look what I started..." Jay laughed.  
"Here you go. How's the head today?" My mother asked.  
"Thank you. The food looks good. My head and body hurt like hell, though." He replied.  
"Looks like a brutal cut on your head."  
"Ten stitches. Almost staple-worthy."   
"Ouch."  
"It could have been worse, though." We sat in silence for a while, then I spoke.  
"What should my ring attire be? I've always liked the cowgirl look."  
"Kind of like that country girl Daisy Duke?"  
"Shut up!" I laughed. "Absolutely not! I said cowgirl. She was just a southern chick."  
"My mistake. Her outfit is great!"  
I smacked him very lightly on the shoulder several times.  
"Jerk." I giggled. He reached over and tickled my side. "Stop!" I screeched hysterically. "Stop it right now, Jason Reso!"  
He finally stopped and I looked at my mother, who was giggling.  
"What your mother must think of you." She told him. One of his now-infamous cocky looks crossed his face.  
"She loves me."  
"I bet."  
We ended up leaving around noon and made it to Chicago around five, and it had to figure that Kate was the first person we'd run into with Rick by her side and Diana lagging about ten paces behind. Diana reached out to me to pick her up, but Kate smacked her tiny hands.  
"No!" She yelled at the child.  
"Why did you do that? There was no reason to smack her hands." Jay told Kate.  
"I don't want her begging to be picked up by people she doesn't know. That’s how things happen. If I don't correct it now, she'll do it to everybody — oh, dammit, why the hell am I answering to you anyway?" She cried, suddenly frustrated.  
"Perhaps you should start. Donna heard your argument behind the Joe Louis Arena last night. I want an explanation as to why and I want time to get to know my daughter."  
Kate turned as pale as a sheet of notebook paper. I enjoyed the little dose of karma she was about to receive.  
"Donna wasn't even --"  
"Be careful about shadows, honey. You never know who could be lurking in them." I told her.  
_"Dammit!"_ She cried, throwing her hands into the air in defeat.   
"Why, Kate? I want a reason. Do you honestly hate me so much that you'd use a child as a pawn in your sick game? You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know the answer to that after all, so tell me this instead: are you going to allow me to spend time with Diana or are you gonna keep pretending that I'm not her father?" He asked calmly.  
"He has a right to --"  
"Shut the hell up, Rick!" She turned back to us, then saw Diana reaching for me again. _"I said no!"_ She screamed at the little girl, who began to cry. Jay stared at her angrily.  
"See, that's the problem, Kate. You have no clue how to raise a child and you're training her to be a hoop-jumper just like you were trained to be when you were her age. You don't want her and now it's obvious why." He reached down and picked up the little girl, who calmed down almost instantly and put her thumb in her mouth as she rested her head on Jay's shoulder. Kate reached forward to pull her daughter's thumb out of her mouth and Jay stepped back so that she couldn't. "Let her be a _kid_ , Kate!"  
"Losers! One and all! What the hell did I ever see in you, Jason Reso?" She cried.  
"Funny, I find myself asking the same thing about you!"  
She stomped away in a fit of anger and then Jay turned to Rick.  
"Jay?"  
"What?" He snapped.  
"I just wanted --"  
"Don't talk to me, Rick. I'm really in no mood. Don't worry, though. I have no intentions of allegedly pushing Diana through any coffee tables or into any jeep bumpers today." Jason told him coldly.  
"I wasn't--"  
"Maybe later I’ll listen, but for now, just go...away."  
Rick walked toward the locker room and I looked at Jay.  
"Wow."  
"Well, now we have another hitchhiker." Jay said lightly.  
"That's okay. I like these kind."  
"Hey Diana." He said. She pulled back and looked at him, her thumb still in her mouth. A genuine smile crossed his face for the first time that afternoon as he looked at her. "What would you say if we went to the catering room and got you a donut?"  
She gave him a small shrug.  
"See what I mean? She probably doesn't even know what the hell a donut is." I said, pushing a lock of her golden blond hair behind her ear.  
"Well, let's teach her." So he knocked on the door and Stephanie opened it.   
"Hey guys. Hi Diana!" She said. Stephanie looked confused. "What are you doing with Diana?"  
"Well, it's a long story, Steph."  
"That's fine. What's up?"  
"Could I get a donut?"  
Steph laughed.  
"You never ask, that's why I'm laughing. Of course you can."  
"It's really for Diana. I'm only going to give her a little piece."  
"Sure." Stephanie repeated, splitting it three ways and handing the last piece to Diana. Diana held it to her chest and blinked, watching Jay and I eat ours.  
"I told you." I said, then tapped Diana's arm. She looked solely at me. "It's okay to eat it. Nobody will take it away."   
"Mine?" She questioned.  
"Yes, that's all yours."  
She put it up to her mouth, watching us cautiously, then ate it in little bites. Jay shook his head and looked at me.  
"I don't get it. She has a three-year-old programmed this strictly. What's wrong with her?"  
"Diana?"  
"No. Kate. Thank you, Stephanie."  
"No problem, Jay."  
We walked out of the room and almost bumped into Adam.  
"Okay. Enlighten me please. Isn't this Kate and Rick's kid?"  
"What? No hello? No 'how are you feeling after almost killing yourself'?" Jay asked, insulted. Adam rolled his eyes.  
"Hi Jay. Hi Donna. How are you feeling? And why are you watching this kid?"  
"Hi Adam. My body feels like I got run over by a truck and I have a headache the size of Manhattan, and the kid is mine."  
"So the mind games begin again. How'd you fall for her telling you this one?"  
" _She_ actually didn't tell him. She didn't even want him to know. I overheard them arguing about Diana last night as I hid in the shadows behind The Joe, and they said it. _I_ told him, Adam. He needed to know."  
"Then that's different." He replied, his look softening. "Sorry about carrying on like that, but you know how I feel about her and that whole situation."  
"I sure do."   
I spotted Matt and Jeff walking into the arena, so I called to them.  
"Jeff! Matt!"  
Judging from the look on his face and the way he was walking, Jeff was in a lot of pain. Either that, or the thought of having to face the music because of what he called me came to mind.  
"You rang?" Matt said in his best 'Lurch' impression.  
"Yeah. I want to know what the hell Jeff was thinking when he called me the 'bandwagon-jumping valet'!" I demanded, trying not to laugh.  
"A true blond. It took her almost a whole day." Jeff joked, mustering up enough energy to elbow his brother in the ribs.  
"Under that blue dye, you're blond too, so you shouldn't be the one talking about hair color!"  
"I was just teasing anyway, Donna."  
"You damn well better be!" I giggled.  
After stopping to chat with the Hardys for a few minutes, Jay and I took Diana down to the ring. Diana looked at Jay as he put her down on the mat, then he did a somersault and sat there, looking at her. She smiled, sticking her finger in her mouth, then pointing at him. He did a backwards somersault, and then we heard her giggle for the first time. Jay laughed and looked at me. I smiled and nodded. He pulled the little girl into his arms and tickled her until she was hysterical with laughter. When he stopped, she laid on the mat, looking up at him and smiling. She scrambled to her feet and ran into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck.  
I sat there with my back against the ropes, watching them together. Jay looked up at me, and although he was smiling, tears glistened in his eyes. As he got her to giggle again, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and looked toward the Titan Tron. I glanced over to see Kate standing there. She finally walked backstage and then Adam and Chris walked out, followed quickly by Amy. Diana pulled herself out of Jay's arms, then ran back into them. He fell onto his back and held her above him. She laughed loudly. I was so content just watching him with Diana that I didn’t care about who was watching. He was visibly hurting from the night before, but he didn't care. He was shoving the pain aside to spend this time with her.  
He sat up and set her on the mat and she looked at him as he struggled to stand up, her eyes sparkling with pure happiness. She gave him a smile, then held up her hands for him to pick her up while bouncing on her tiptoes. He picked her up and hugged her for the longest time.  
"Jay?" I questioned. He set her down and wiped his face.  
"I'm fine." He insisted. “I’m better than fine, actually.”  
"Okay." I prayed that perhaps Kate would get hit with enough common sense to say, 'Diana's biological father loves her and I don't want to raise this child or care about her. Why don't I just give parental custody to him?’ I knew it wouldn’t happen, but I hoped for it to happen anyway.  
In the short hour that we'd been here, they'd already established quite the bond. She was eating up all the attention she could get from him and responding openly to the love he was giving to her. It really thrilled me to see this.  
"Excuse me, Donna?"  
"Yes?" I said as Steph walked up to me.  
"Would you like to make your commitment to the WWF family official? My father just arrived with the contract."  
Jay picked Diana up and we all walked out of the ring to the green room where we had got the donut and Vince stood up, giving us a warm welcome.  
Diana pointed at the fruit tray on the coffee table and Stephanie handed her a strawberry, which she didn't hesitate to suck on.  
I read the contract thoroughly, which was a two-year deal with a renewal option, then signed.  
"Welcome aboard!"  
We chatted for a short time, then we went to another room so we could all be alone.  
"Kate really doesn't want her?" Jay asked me when he sat down, watching Diana walk around the room. I shook my head slowly. "I do. I can take care of her. I know damn well that I can."  
Diana stared at the TV for a second, then crawled into Jay's lap and sat against his chest, sucking her thumb and clutching a fistful of his shirt in her hand.  
"I know you can, and I know you want to." I replied as he stroked the little girl's hair gently.  
"She has a bump from yesterday." He observed.  
"I know."  
There was a knock on the door.   
"Come in." Jay said.  
Kate opened the door and behind her as usual, stood Rick.  
"Oh come _on._ " I moaned, seeing Diana blink several times and her lower lip start to tremble. Her tiny hand squeezed onto Jay's shirt tighter. "It kills you that much to see her enjoying herself around him? I've only known her a day and a half and this is the most personality she's shown!"  
"Kate, I don't understand. If you two don't want her or want to spend time with her, let me. Why should I have to beg like this? She's my daughter, too!" Sensing the sharp change in Jay's voice, Diana began to cry. Kate reached forward and removed Diana's thumb from her mouth, forcefully detached her hand from Jay's shirt and pulled the now-sobbing girl away from him, then she walked out the door with Rick hot on her heels. Jason forced himself to stand up and run after them and I followed quickly. " **KATHRINE MARIE MITCHELL!** " He yelled angrily. Kate stopped and turned around. When she looked up at him, she actually looked a little frightened. I'd never heard him say anything in such a demanding, sharp tone. Then again, he never had any reason to speak like that around me. "There is a time to act like a high-schooler and exchange bitter words like we did yesterday, and then there is a time to act like an adult and think about what's best for the wailing child you have at your feet who's trying to pull out of that death grip you have on her wrist! You had no grounds to come in and take her out of my arms. I wasn't getting ready for a match and I'm not leaving to go home! She was perfectly content and now look at her!"  
Kate looked from us to her daughter angrily, then let go of her, adding a little bit of a shove behind it, sending her to the floor.  
"Take this wailing, screaming brat, then!" She screamed, stomping away. Rick backed off, nose in the air as Jay picked up the little girl.  
"Mommeeeee...!" She wailed. It sent chills down my spine. How cold and heartless. Jason walked past Rick and into Vince's green room. Vince looked from Shane and Stephanie to us.  
"Hello Jason."  
"Hi Mr. McMahon. I need to ask you for a favor."  
"Go ahead. Ask away."  
Jason looked at me, then back to his boss.  
"Do you know any good lawyers?" He asked angrily, rubbing Diana's back, which was no doubt a little sore from her collision with the floor.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

## Chapter 19

"I know that you must be getting sick of me asking you--" Jay began. Vince held up his hand.  
"I appreciate you coming to me, but if you don't mind my asking, what do you need a lawyer for?"  
"Do you have some time?"   
"Sure do. Have a seat."  
"Donna, want to go for a walk with me while Jay talks to my dad?" Steph asked me, her brown eyes concerned.  
"Sure." I gave Jay's shoulder a gentle squeeze and followed Stephanie out the door.   
"What happened? We heard the yelling all the way down the hallway from in our green room, and we know full well that they weren't cutting a promo for a match." She said as we walked onto the ramp and sat on the edge. I explained the wild events from the past 24 hours and Stephanie sat there, looking at me in total shock.   
"I feel how you look, Stephanie. Two months ago, I was a diehard fan wishing to just meet him, and then I finally met him and it has truly changed my life. This whole Diana-Rick-Kate thing is painful to watch him deal with though."   
"When my father told me that Jason had approached him last weekend with concerns about the newbies, I didn't realize the magnitude, nor exactly what those concerns even were." She pushed a lock of her brown hair behind her ear, then looked back up at me. "We knew absolutely nothing about this situation when dad signed them. We still didn't know until last night. Jason rarely, if ever, talks on a personal level with me and my family. This has come as a shock to the system. I'll be honest, Donna, I'm amazed at Kathrine's actions and bitterness toward him. It's totally unprofessional. I personally, would like her out of the WWF, but that's just me. My father has the final say in this, and he won’t buy out a new contract this fast. They’ve only been here for a few days. I know what he'll say now that the little girl is involved and Jason's asking about lawyers. He'll say no because if he releases Kathrine, she might run off with the kid out of fear that Jason will get custody. Jason is such a gentle spirit. In the times I have spoken to him, given the entire time from the past couple of years, he has never been angry, disrespectful, or anything, and I'm two years younger than him. He could tell me off if he wanted to, because I'm sure that I've gotten under his skin a couple of times, especially with some of the storylines we have had in the past year. He just doesn't. He takes a lot of stuff from everyone and he doesn't care. At least outwardly."   
"Well, this whole thing is swirling around in my mind like an F-5 tornado. No end in sight and just as destructive. I wouldn't _dream_ of pulling or saying the things she did, that's all I know."  
"It makes you wonder what makes some people the way they are."   
I glanced at Steph after a couple of minutes of silence.  
"You are so different from the persona you show the world."  
She laughed.  
"It's fun to pretend to be a little brat. The amazing part is how hard the change of tides are as far as the fans go. They were behind me when the Undertaker 'kidnapped' me, and again when the whole thing was going on with Andrew and me. Since my 'marriage' to Triple-H, my on-screen persona has been nothing but perceived as a slut." She laughed. "Our hardest of the hardcore fans break the kayfabe after they meet some of us, but it's like watching someone play a bad guy in a movie and finding out that they're really nice or say, meeting Ozzy Osbourne and you're like, 'Hey, where's the freak?' You know? I mean, we all have bad days. Take Jason for example. You met him in South Florida. How did he come off to you the very first time you met him?" I reflected on the kiss he gave my hand after he'd signed my poster and joked with Chris. I sighed happily.  
"Like the most enchanting guy in the world."  
"Okay. I can tell you have that image in your mind by the look that's on your face. Now picture that argument he just had with Kate. If a fan getting the tour like you and Maria did got an eye or earful of that, you'd see it up on the internet with him portrayed as a major jerk, when in reality, he was having a really bad moment over that little girl with his ex. Some fans, not all, do that and don't give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Like we're not allowed to have a bad day or an off moment. Screw that. Don't get me wrong -- I love the fans and their reactions to whatever goes on in the arena, whether those reactions are good, bad or indifferent, I don't care. Just don't hold it against us if you catch us at a bad time."  
"I would never do that."  
Seeing people starting to mill around near the entrances, Steph stood up.  
"I think they opened the arena doors. Let's go."  
We walked backstage and back to the McMahons' green room. Jason sat there, talking to Shane as Diana munched happily on a piece of watermelon. He looked up at me and took a deep breath.  
"You okay?" I asked.  
"I'm fine."  
"How's her back?"  
"It's fine. You like that watermelon?" He asked Diana, who looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. "Cool." She rested against his chest as she finished her fruit, then yawned.  
"She's tired." I observed.  
"She probably hasn't had a nap. I think that's what we're gonna do--let her take one in that green room we were in earlier."  
"Are you wrestling tonight?"  
"Hell no. Tonight Adam has a match against Brian James -- Road Dogg -- and I'm accompanying him because of Kate. I basically have the week off from the action part of things because of the fall and the stitches. Jeff has a similar situation going on, so Amy and Matt have an intergender tag match against Jackie and Peter -- well, Tazz."  
We sauntered into the green room we'd been in before and Jason put Diana on the loveseat. She didn't want to stay there, though. She sat up and walked up to us, sticking her finger in her mouth and looking at us with irresistible puppy dog eyes. Jason pulled her onto the couch with us and she laid down with her head on his lap, curling up with her knees to her chest and thumb in her mouth. Not even ten minutes later, she was fast asleep. He stroked her hair gently, shaking his head.  
"What?" I inquired.  
"I can't fathom the concept of ignoring her or yelling at her. Kate could not have angered me any more if she had tried. Taking Diana out of my arms is one thing, but I'll be damned if I allow her to shove her to the floor like that again." There was a knock on the door. "Dammit, what now?"  
"Hey _jerky!_ " Chris snapped back, half-joking. "I only wanted to chat with you, but I can see that--"  
"I apologize, Chris. Come in."  
"Fair enough. What's up, Donna?"  
"Hey...not much."  
"So, the goblin got tired from the tickle-fest you had out at the ring, eh?" He asked, his Canadian speech shining through momentarily.  
"That had to have played a big part in it." Jay replied, a smile locking itself into his blue eyes.  
"Barbie is in the locker room throwing her stuff all around. She's having a fit and yelling at herself."  
"You went into the women's locker room?" Jay laughed. "You and Paul are both into trying on Joanie's stage costumes now?"  
"No. That's Michael Manna’s area of town, isn't it, Mikey?" Chris joked. Manna ducked in the doorway, dressed in his Right to Censor attire.  
"Isn't what what?"  
"Trying on Joanie's stage outfits your area?"  
"Oh, shut up, Irvine!"   
"I couldn't help it."  
"You are crazy. One-hundred percent insane."  
"No, I'm sorry, but those titles go to the one on the couch. _He’s_ the crazy one." Chris said, gesturing toward Jason.  
"Him and Jeff Hardy both." Michael said.  
"Come on, guys. I lost my balance."  
"You still climbed that fence." Chris pointed out. "You didn't have to."  
"Sure I did." Jason told his friends, beaming proudly as he did so. He looked like a little kid when he grinned. I smiled. Michael smiled too, then walked out of the room. I sat quietly and thought about things as I watched Diana sleep so peacefully, then Jay touched my arm.  
"Yeah?"  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine." I replied, looking at Diana, who stirred slightly. "What are you going to do about her?"  
"I asked Vince about a lawyer. I want custody before Kate kills her spirit and makes her into a robot."  
"I was coming back in from getting my bag out of my car when I saw Kate shove Diana to the floor. Tell you what, if Jessie had seen that, that woman would be in the hospital right now." Chris said. Jessica and Chris had wed this past July and I had yet to meet her but was looking forward to doing so. She looked like quite the interesting and fun person judging from the wedding pictures I had seen.  
"If she hadn't walked away...she had better be thankful that she did." Jason replied in a tight voice, looking down at Diana, who was sleeping soundly. "It’s not an excuse for me to put my hands on Kate, but that worthless fiancé of hers just stood there and didn't make one damn move to help Diana!" He cried. It was almost eight o'clock when Chris left the room to prepare for his match and Diana woke up. She sat up and blinked her eyes sleepily, looked at Jay, then laid back down as she yawned. "Diana?" She rolled onto her back quickly; attentively and looked Jason in the eyes. "Did you have a good nap?"  
"Yes." She replied in her tiny voice. Jay looked at me, then back to her.  
"Good. I'm glad."  
"Play more?" She asked.   
"Oh sweetheart, I have to work soon." She pouted when she heard this.  
"Okay."  
"We can play a little bit afterward, though."   
Her eyes lit up and she smiled as a knock echoed into the room.  
"Come in." I said. There stood Kate in her ring attire. "No way. Get out of here." I said, standing up. Diana, remembering what had gone on earlier in the day, sat up quickly and backed out of arm's length from her mother. Kate gave me an angry stare.  
"This is none of your concern, ringrat." She snarled, then looked at her daughter. "Come here, Diana." Diana shook her head. Kate's eyes became black with anger. "What have I told you about telling me no?" She demanded of the little girl.  
"Maybe she's afraid of getting shoved to the floor again." Jason retorted.  
"I did _not_ shove her!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Dropped her, let her go, _pushed_ her..." He said, starting to get angry again, blocking her from Kate’s sudden movement to grab her with his arm and forcing Diana’s small frame behind him on the couch. "It seems to me that you have a slight problem with being hypocritical. Now, correct me if I'm wrong -- and I'm sure that you'll try to regardless of my being right, wrong, or otherwise anyway -- but you have this grudge with me from when Rick pushed me into you and you got hurt, then you cry and whine and carry on because we shouldn't have gotten physical over me catching you cheating on me, and _then_ you turn around and push Diana to the floor! You call her a brat and god only knows what other hell you invoke on this child when I’m not around! You see me in that child, and you hate me for reasons still unclear to me after three years of being split up! You want to have total control over Diana. How the hell can you love Diana like you should when you hate me?" He yelled, standing up. I sat down and Diana crawled into my arms quickly, beginning to tremble and sob as she hid her face in my shirt. "You hate me _and_ you hate her! I'll tell you what, Kathrine! If you want to hurt me, then hurt _me_ physically. Come on, Kate! What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here! But don’t hurt me emotionally by abusing that child! Don't you _dare_ hurt Diana and let me find out about it. She didn't ask to be brought into this world, but she's damn lucky that she now has one parent who would give his life to have her become a full-time part of it and not mind one little bit!" He yelled, looking down at us. "She doesn't hide from me like she does from you! This is the second time in one day!"  
"I love my daughter! How can you so much as imply that I hate --"  
"You...hate... _me!_ How do you not understand this? It's a chain reaction! You blame me because I had to be psychic to know that you weren't taking the pills and I'm not, so you became pregnant and had her while you were rehabbing that leg of yours that you _also_ blame me for! Oh, I've got it! I always wondered why that rehab took so long and suddenly got more expensive about halfway through. It's all clear to me now! You know, Kate, remember that there will come a time when all of this -- your cheating, your lies, your grudges, your hatred -- will all come back around and bite you right in your ass and I'll come out the victor. Enjoy your reign, Queenie. There's a new prince in town who's about to toss you off your throne and ruin your day!" He screamed at her. "Now get the hell out of here!" She slammed the door behind herself and Jay stood there, shoving his hands into his pockets, then taking them out and raking them through his hair. He looked at us, then sat down and took some deep, calming breaths. He stroked my arm, then reached for Diana. She dug her tiny nails into my arms and screeched, then began to wail. "Diana, it's okay. Come here."  
"Jason, stop for a second. Let me deal with it." I told him. "Diana? Sweetheart, it's okay. Nice and quiet. Look..." I lifted her chin out of the fabric of my shirt and she looked at me, still sobbing heavily. "Look over here. See Jason? He wants to hold you and make sure that you're okay. He loves you very much." She calmed down slightly and looked from Jason to me, then let go of me slowly and crawled into his arms. She pulled her knees to her chest as she sat sideways on his lap, then she put her ear against his chest, allowing the sound of his heartbeat to calm her sobs.  
"I'm sorry that I got--"  
"You have _every_ right to be the voice for your daughter. I would expect nothing less."   
"I didn't have to yell --"  
"Apparently that is the only way she will listen to you, or she will steamroll right over you. She’s ruthless, unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I don't think it was you, anyway. I think Kate and Rick might get into some physical arguments at home and Diana witnesses them."  
This theory caused Jason to hug Diana closer to his body.  
"I hope not, Donna." There was a soft knock at the door. "What _now?_ "  
Amy opened the door a little and looked in at us.  
"They need you to go and cut your promo with Adam and Barbie." She said, wrinkling her nose. Jay clenched his jaw tightly and sighed. He handed Diana to me, gave me a surprisingly gentle kiss on the cheek and walked out. I looked at Amy and motioned to where Jay had been sitting.   
"Go ahead and have a seat."  
She sat and then spoke. "Everyone heard Jason yelling at that bitch. Is he okay?"  
"He's absolutely furious. The only thing that calmed him down so fast from that was Diana."  
"Damn, Donna, if you ever need to talk, feel free to come and talk to me. I feel like it's something too small to offer, but --"  
"It's something, and it's much appreciated."  
"I'm putting forth the offer, but realize that you also have Joanie, Stephanie, Debra, Jackie, Stacy, Terri, Tori...you haven't met all of them yet, I know, but if I'm not around for whatever reason, you can talk to them and you'll feel like you've known them your whole life."  
"Thank you, Amy."   
"Want to watch RAW here or out there?"  
"Can I watch here?"  
"By yourself?"  
"Umm..."  
"Come on."  
I followed Amy to a different room where David Heath sat with Allan Sarven, who respectively play Gangrel and Al Snow.   
"Hey Amy." Al said. David looked up at us and made room on the couch for me to sit with Diana.  
"Hey Snowman. What's up, David?"  
"Hi Amy."  
"Donna wanted to hang out and watch RAW with some people who aren’t Rick and Kate."  
"Can't say I blame you, Donna." David said.  
"Keep the Gangrel bit at bay with the kid around, okay, Dave?" Amy told him with a wink.  
"Yes, mommy." He joked.  
Amy giggled and left the room.   
"So you're Jason's girlfriend, huh?"  
"And this is his daughter."  
"So we heard." Al said.  
"Never knew he could have such a big mouth." David told me. "That little one in your arms right there is quite a big thing to him, I'm sure, given how much he loves kids in general. I'm also sure that you've heard many things about Jay. Jay is a very dedicated, hard worker. Very underrated. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does. He cares about you very much." He told me as RAW opened on TV. "I'm used to him being a shy, quiet person. I barely recognized his voice yelling at the shrew down the hallway. Anybody who brings out such a wicked side of Jason, which I've never seen before, is not a good person. I know how he is, and he sees good in everybody."  
"There is no good in Kate." I mumbled.  
I sat there and watched silently with Diana resting against my chest, watching the TV as well. The door opened and Rick walked in, followed by Glenn Jacobs, who plays Kane. I rolled my eyes at the sight of Rick. Diana looked up at him.  
"Daddy..."  
"I'm not your daddy, kid. Get over it." He sighed, not even walking over to us and instead, sitting on a chair as far away from us as possible. I shot him an angry look. Diana wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what he said, and that he meant it. His action of following up the comment by ignoring her really sealed it all for her. Her face showed what she was feeling about that whole exchange.   
"Wow. It wouldn't be your style for you and Kate to show a little class around here, spare a few feelings and stop hurting this child, now, would it? It'd take a little effort on your part and you seem to be pretty lazy, at least in my eyes."  
"She doesn't any idea what I just --"  
I turned Diana's soaked red face toward him.  
"Care to rethink your statement before you finish saying it? I've seen the way you both treat her. Neither one of you care about her welfare. All you two seem to care about is seeing how much you can hurt Jason before he finally snaps!" I turned back to the TV and saw Michael Cole standing with Jason and Adam in the promo they had cut earlier. I reached forward and touched the image of Jason on the screen as he spoke to the Hardys about getting revenge for the injuries he'd received. "Diana?" She looked at me, her sapphire eyes still glistening with huge, fresh tears. "See Jason?" She nodded slowly. "He’s your daddy. Not Rick." She pointed at Jason's image with a shaky finger.  
"Daddy?" She asked slowly.  
"Yes, sweetheart. Jason is your daddy."  
She squirmed to get off of my lap and walked up to the TV, staring at it. The tears fell and she wiped them away quickly, then looked at the TV again. She pointed at him once more.  
"Daddy?" She questioned in an excited squeal, then looked back at me, smiling broadly. I smiled and nodded. Her sudden happiness brought a smile to everyone in the room except Rick, who stared at her and scowled.


	20. Chapter Twenty

## Chapter 20

I looked from Rick to Diana, then back to Rick.  
"You clearly have a problem with her being happy, don't you?"  
"Where it concerns Reso, I have a huge problem."  
David turned his attention from the TV to Rick, now sitting forward and looking at him with interest.  
"And what, may I ask, is your problem with him? He's done nothing to you...unfortunately."  
"He's intrusive, demanding, whiny and just flat out annoying. Diana has every single one of those traits and I hate it."  
"Well you're annoying me by how you refer to both Jason and Diana, so the 'just flat out annoying' trait obviously runs somewhere, and Jason is far from annoying. I think it's something she might have picked up from the two of you, but frankly, I have yet to see her be annoying to anyone." David pointed out, folding his arms over his chest and watching Diana as she continued to giggle and point at the TV.  
"I have a question for you, Rick." I said. "Did you, Kate, or any family member for that matter, ever hold her or give her any love at all when she was a baby? She seemed to thrive immensely from the attention and the cuddling Jason was giving her earlier. She really opened up to everyone. Everyone, that is, except you and Kate."  
"Not unless it was necessary." He said with a stone face and robotic voice.  
"It's _constantly_ necessary." Glenn said, his voice tight with anger. “That’s how they learn to love and have empathy.”  
"When is it 'necessary' on your planet, Rick? How can you look that little girl in the eyes and hurt her? How can you stand it?" I cried, my past suddenly intruding on the present. I fought it out of my mind as he leaned forward in the chair and stared me in the eyes.  
"When is it _unnecessary_ is more the question, don't you think?" He replied. "Like when she's throwing a fit, if she doesn't eat all of her food or when she doesn't listen, if she tells us no, talking when she's not supposed to..." He said, trailing off. My face must have been glowing red with anger. I felt it on my cheeks.  
"'Us'? You don't claim her. You just said so! You don't want to be a part of her life. You don't even want her as a part in your life! You have no rights to her whatsoever! 'Us'! The nerve! Do you and Kate fight a lot?"  
"Kate's very stubborn."  
"So that's a roundabout way of saying yes, right?" I asked him through clenched teeth.  
"Yes. Of course we argue. What a stupid question."  
"Really, really loudly like Jason and Kate got a short time ago?"  
"Yes." He said, frustrated.  
"How often?"  
"Very. I told you -- she's very stubborn."  
"Ever push or shove each other? Hit each other, perhaps? Or perhaps it’s one-sided like it was with her and Jason?"  
He glared at me. "I don't like what you're implying one single bit!"  
"I don't care if you like it or not. It requires a simple yes or no!"  
Rick rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room.  
"I don't know about anyone else here, but I take that as a yes." Al said gravely. I sat back on the couch, watching Diana quietly, saying another prayer that one of those two would come to their senses about her.

**********

After the show, Jason walked into the room where I sat with David, asking him about Jason's days in the Brood. Diana saw him and her eyes lit up immediately. She pointed at him and looked at me.  
"Daddy?" She questioned, the happy squeal returning.  
"Yes, darlin'. Go see him."  
“Well, I see someone learned something new.” Jay observed as he looked from me to Diana, his tired eyes sparkling happily. He knelt on the floor. She ran into his arms and threw her arms around his neck tightly.  
"That has got to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen." David told us.  
"You and me both, and I've worked with a lot of kids."  
"How was she?" Jason asked me.  
"Well, Rick came in here for a short time and she called out to him and he blew her off and sat way in the corner. It made her cry, so that's when I told her who her daddy really is. Then I decided to ask him some things."  
Sensing the upcoming conversation, David stood up. "I'll leave you guys alone. See you, Jay. 'Night, Donna."  
"Thanks David. Good night."  
"See you, man." Jay said and shut the door behind his friend. He turned back to me. "What 'things' did you ask him?"  
"If they ever held her when she was a baby."  
He arched his eyebrows. "And?"  
"'Not unless it was necessary.' I also asked him about the fights he and Kate have. The ones we don't see. Judging by his reaction and his avoiding to reply verbally, the consensus of the room at the time was that they are loud and they are physical." Jay clenched his jaw and a fire ignited in his eyes that scared me a little bit.  
"Is there anything else I should know before I take him out to that ring and beat the hell out of him?"  
"No. There's nothing else." He handed Diana to me and walked out of the room. "Jason, come on! Pounding him into the mat won't solve a damn thing!"  
He stopped Andrew Martin (who plays Test) in the hallway.  
"Andrew, have you seen Kate and Rick?"  
Andrew looked back with questioning eyes.  
"They left about five minutes ago."  
"They _what?_ "  
"They left."  
"Where were they going? Are they coming back?"  
"I don't know where they're going, but they're not coming back. The next time we'll see them will be in Ohio. They were arguing all the way out to their car. They really shouldn't be together. They argue too much."  
Jay turned around and walked back toward the room we were just in.  
"Thanks, Andrew." I said, following Jason quickly. "Jay --"  
" **WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING?!** " He screamed in pure frustration as loud as he possibly could. Diana jumped with fright and began to choke me with the death grip she now had on my neck. "I have no car seat, no clothes, I don't know my way around Chicago, especially at night. I'm liable to drive us right into the middle of the worst part of the city! **I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS!** "  
"Nooo..." Diana whimpered as I struggled for air beneath her grip.  
"Diana, daddy's just angry. He won't hurt us." I said, trying to get her to ease up on the grip.  
"The nerve of that woman! I want a lawyer right **NOW!** " He picked up a near-empty can and threw it against the wall in anger. He sat down for a second, then stood back up and left the room. I sat down with Diana, who curled up in my lap.  
"Dammit." I cursed in a soft voice, sitting sideways on the couch, pulling my knees up as far as I could to shield her as much as possible, then rested my head on the back of the couch.  
"Donna?" Said Joanie, looking in at us from the doorway. "Mark Callaway took Jason out to the ring to calm him down."  
"Good."  
"I wanted to tell you something, because I know very well that Jason just found out that Rick and Kate left Diana here. Dwayne wanted to stop them from leaving and question Diana's whereabouts, but then thought that because they were already getting into it out in the parking lot that it would be one less fight that Diana would witness and she'd get to spend some more time with her father."  
"So it was Rocky just looking out for Diana?"  
"Yes."  
I sighed, still cradling the trembling little girl in my arms. Joanie reached forward and stroked Diana's hair gently.  
"He cares and they don't, Joanie. I don't know what to do."  
"I'm all too familiar with that scenario. It's rough. He mentioned something about a lawyer as he walked with Mark. Is he going for custody?"  
"Yes."  
"Good for him. She is horrible and we all just met her yesterday."  
"Seems like forever and a day ago."  
We sat there in silence as Diana took in her surroundings.  
"Hi Donna. Hi Joanie." Said Matt.  
"Hi Matt. Hi Jeff."  
"What's up?" Jeff said solemnly.  
"Listen, Jeff and I are heading out, but I wanted to loan you and Jason my leather jacket."  
"For what?"  
"For Diana. That thin little sundress she has on isn't proper attire for a snowy December night. I can handle a little cold. She can’t." I never even noticed, it had been so chaotic. I felt horrible not noticing that. I looked up at him, and Jeff as well, who held a bag out to me. I looked questioningly at the brothers.  
"Something for her to wear when you get to the hotel." Jeff explained. I took the jacket from Matt and the bag from Jeff. Inside the bag was small, child-sized WWF Attitude t-shirt and some small black WWF sweatpants. "It's almost midnight. I don't see you all on the road until five in the morning, getting back to your house, and then making it to Ohio for the SmackDown taping tomorrow night. Monty has a car seat for you guys to use."  
Monty Sopp plays Billy Gunn. He has a couple of kids back home, but I was unsure of their ages.  
"As soon as we saw them leaving without the kid, Dwayne, Jeff and I began to talk about who might have what." I was touched by this act of kindness and friendship.  
"Bless your hearts, boys."  
"Remember, Donna, this is a first-class federation. We look out for one another, but we won't be looking out for those two losers. They're on their own." Joanie told me. "She looks so content in your arms. Adam pulled me out to the ramp earlier this afternoon to see how much Jason was enjoying spending his time with her. He was clearly in pain from last night, but he was enjoying her company. Her laughter carried all the way up to the Titan Tron without microphones. She is happy with him. They need each other. She needs a decent, loving parent. One who won’t dress her in a sleeveless sundress in the dead of winter, and he needs to have a priority other than his career. You have become the love of his life and I think that Diana has now become a focal point. He may not see it, but the little one you're holding is probably the only good thing Kate has ever had inside her."  
"It's despicable that they'd be so caught up in fighting with each other that they'd forget about her." Matt mumbled. “However, it might be a blessing in disguise.”  
Mark Callaway walked up to the doorway, looking in at us.  
"How is he?" I asked.  
"He's fine. He’s finally calm. It took me, Adam, Ron and Paul to finally calm him down, but we managed to do it."  
"How--?"  
"We kicked his ass in the ring."  
I smiled. "Sure you did."  
"Seriously though, we sat him down and talked to him."  
"Donna?" Said a voice behind Mark. Mark stepped aside, allowing Jason to walk into the room. His eyes matched the calm tone of his voice. "I'm sorry."  
Matt, Jeff, Mark and Joanie left the three of us alone, with Joanie shutting the door softly behind herself.  
"Come here." I said gently.  
He sat in front of me, then looked up at me sadly.  
"I scared the hell out of Diana, didn't I?"  
"Your tone of voice frightened her, not you personally." Diana stirred in my arms, then looked up at Jay.  
"Daddy play?" She questioned. Jay opened his mouth to respond, then he looked her in the eyes, thought for a second, and spoke.  
"Can daddy give you a hug for a while instead?" He asked her. She nodded and climbed over my knees and into his arms.

*********

We managed to find a hotel and checked in shortly after one. Diana had fallen asleep in the car seat, snuggled warmly in Matt's leather jacket. I took her into the smaller of the rooms within the suite itself and woke her up just long enough to dress her in the outfit that the Hardys had given to us, then tucked her into the bed, where she curled up tightly and sucked on her thumb until she fell back to sleep.  
I walked back into the other room, where Jay laid on the bed, staring intently at the ceiling.  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah." He replied. I relaxed beside him and placed my head on his chest.  
"Are you sure?"  
He shook his head slightly, sending tears down his face.  
"This hurts me beyond capacity. I was fine three days ago and now I feel like I'm in pieces."  
"Jay, the little girl in the next room is depending on you to hold those pieces together. You are the _only_ source of stability she has right now."  
"I know, and my letting Kate get under my skin like this doesn't help. It won't happen again. I'm sorry." He said as he sat up, wiping his face and walking across the room.  
"Huh?" I muttered, wondering exactly what the hell just took place.  
"My screaming like I did and throwing things won't happen again."  
"Jason..." I sighed. "Come back over here. Will you please do whatever you need to do to get those feelings out?"  
"What about you? We've been dating for almost two months and I know very little about you."  
"Way to change the topic."  
"I've talked about those two morons for this whole time. I've thought about nothing but Diana for twenty-four hours straight. Can we please talk about you for a while?" He pleaded, his eyes shimmering with exhaustion and defeat as the tears came back. I patted the bed beside me where he had been and he sat back down.  
"What do you want to know?"  
"How did you figure out Diana's life so fast?"  
I sighed. I hated talking about the past, especially my own.  
"My mother told you about my father making Jake and I pawns in his abusive little game just to hurt her. Jake has come to the point in his life where he'll just tell you to take a flying leap if he doesn't like you or what you're doing. He'll often times walk away from things, but if he has to get involved in something dire, he will in a flash. I, however, am the hider. I don't like confrontations or arguing with people. I hate loud voices and yelling, especially when it's directed at me. I can't take watching people fight or argue. In short, I've been in Diana's shoes."  
"Is that why you got up and walked away from me yesterday and became hysterical when you ran into Chris?" He asked, referring to when I ran away from him when he got a little angry with me about talking about him to Collette and Maria about his incidents with Kate. I nodded.  
"My greatest fear is to end up like my mother did when my father was around." I said, tears coming to my eyes. "You are honestly the first guy I feel comfortable with. Every other guy I've dated has lasted for no longer than a month for one reason or another." _Not counting Bradley,_ I thought.  
"Any reasons why you split up?"  
"Some cheated because I refused to go all the way with them, a few called me names, and a couple simply walked away. The name-callers were always the physical ones." I mumbled, avoiding even mentioning Bradley. He hugged me tightly.  
"I'm sorry."  
I shrugged.  
"It's not your fault." I told him, playing with the belt loop of his blue jeans. "This whole week has been a major battle to fight to get better and force myself to go on. Last night, I stood in those shadows not because of Kate and Rick, but to prove to myself that there aren't demons hiding in every shadow."  
"Why didn't you come to me and talk to me about this?" He asked me, obviously hurt.  
"Because you've had your own problems to contend with all week long! You didn't need mine piled onto them!"  
"You're forgetting, Donna, that I have been trying to help you get better all week. You have been my main concern. You still are! You are very important to me! I never want you to feel like I can't be bothered!"  
"It's not that, Jay. My adrenaline was the only thing that kept me conscious that night. He was in that car with me for a good while, yelling at me and trying to get me to stop fighting. My face was bloody because he backhanded me at one point." I told him, tightening my grip on his shirt as I tried to push the images from my mind.  
"Donna?"  
Tears fell down my cheeks and tried to choke my words.  
"He had us locked in my car! If I hadn't dropped the keys outside, he would have driven me to who-knows-where to do god-knows-what!" I wailed before the tears choked me entirely.  
"Oh Angel, it's okay." He said soothingly, stroking my hair and tightening his embrace. I felt so safe and so loved. "I love you so much. You have no idea how much I love you."  
"I love you too, Jason." I replied when the tears finally loosened their grip on my voice box. "Very much. I owe you --"  
"Nothing. Not one thing. I would defend you in a heartbeat." I sobbed until he hushed my cries with a gentle kiss on the lips. I responded hungrily, wanting him badly. He lingered at my lips for quite some time, taking a moment to remove his shirt and toss it onto the floor. He kissed my lips some more, then pulled my shirt off and moved down my neck. He pulled me down on top of him and I responded to him, tracing his jaw with my lips gently, then moved down his throat to his chest and kept moving down until I reached his jeans. I looked up at him playfully as I unbuttoned them. "You're teasing me now. You know that, right?" He joked. I smiled, then laid back down on top of him, kissing him passionately. He wrapped his strong arms around my body, playing with my clothes, then massaged my now-bare back with his hands. My own arms found their way around his neck as he moved me onto my back, still kissing me as his jeans and my skirt finally found their way to the floor as well. He allowed his frustration for the past 48 hours to dissolve into a really heated passion instead. It was so intense for him that it brought him to tears afterward. Seeing his tears, in turn, brought some to my own eyes. "I love you so much, Donna! So much!" He sobbed. I pulled him down to rest his head on my chest and stroked his hair gently.  
"I love you too." I replied, wiping tears out of my own eyes with my free hand. After a while of silence, I spoke again. "Thank you for loving me, for taking the time to care and for making my reality far better than my fantasies and dreams. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to imagine someone being so gentle and passionate with you when your reality is a total one-eighty." That was it. More tears flooded my eyes. He looked up at me.  
"Is that why your stories are so passionate and open?"  
I nodded, my secret finally out in the open.  
"Yes. I've been writing them for two years. I was so confused, scared and depressed between my mother's relationship and my own that my notebook and pen combination was my only best friend." I confessed, looking away as the tears continued to fall.  
"What about Maria?"  
"I couldn't tell her. She knew that they'd yell and carry on when we all hung out, and she'd try to convince me to dump them, but she never knew about any of the physical stuff." I sniffled. He rolled onto his back, then pulled me down on top of him gently and hugged me tightly.  
"Was it bad?"  
I thought hard about how to answer this question.  
“Yeah. It was pretty bad.”  
"I will never, ever hurt you. I swear that to you, Donna. I am so sorry that you were hurt and I'm sorry that your mother was hurt."  
"The move pulled me out of my depression, and I've been such a loner for the past several months, engulfing myself in watching hockey and wrestling and penning my fantasies. I was afraid to go out and meet guys for fear that I'd be hurt again. I moved far away from that to start over with my mom, Ryan and Jake. Then my vacation came and Maria took me to that live event with the press pass and it changed my life." I told him, my voice stepping up a bit. The thought of my first meeting with Jay thrilled me every time I reflected on it. "When you and Chris were joking about me and whose fan I was and you took the time to sign my poster, I was in heaven. I was honestly the happiest person on earth. Then when you kissed my hand, I felt like I was flying. My feet were not on the floor after that. You took my broken heart and mended it with one simple kiss." I whimpered happily. He tightened his embrace a little more. "You just didn't know it."  
"Until now. How come you never told me any of this?" He asked, sniffling.  
"I thought I'd scare you away, or you'd think that I was some nutcase groupie who would make it all up to get close to you. You are the one person who's come into my life that I've wanted to keep around, so I didn't tell you. Everyone else I’ve ever told either ran off or used it to hurt me in one way or another."  
"Not me." He said, making me look him in the eyes. "Not...me." He told me sternly. I nodded. We spoke for a short while longer, then he reached over and turned on the radio before shutting off the bedside lamp. Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls began to play as Jason held me protectively. The words, so true to my life, soothed me as I relaxed against him.

As the song came to a close, I felt my eyelids grow heavy, and I drifted into my normal dream, which was beginning to surface less and less because I had the real-life version by my side.

(Again, I cannot post the lyrics to the song here per site guidelines. Please Google the lyrics to the song if you wish.)


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

## Chapter 21

I woke up the next morning feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. Although I didn’t confess everything, the fact that he still accepted me really felt nice. I gathered my clothes off of the floor and got dressed, then looked at Jason, who was still asleep. The night before had almost been unreal. It had been so full of emotion and energy, both positive and negative. I sighed, reaching over to touch his cheek gently with my hand. I smiled, then walked out to the main part of the suite. I stood there for a minute, enjoying the silence that the morning had brought with it, then looked in at Diana, who looked back at me with wide eyes.  
"Donna me?" She asked from under the covers, which were pulled up to just beneath her eyes.  
"Do you wanna come out here, or do you want me to come in there?" I asked, amazed that she even knew my name.  
"Donna here?" She asked. So I walked into the room and sat on the bed beside her. I pulled the covers away from her face and she giggled.  
"Are you playing a game with me, little one?" I asked as she pulled the covers back up to her eyes. I pulled the sheet off of her face again, and again she giggled, pulling it back up. This exchange went on for a good fifteen minutes, until she got up and hugged me.  
"Love Donna." She told me, her voice content.  
"Oh sweetheart, I love you too." I told her, hugging her back. I walked her out to the main part of the suite and put on Sesame Street for her. She looked at me funny, but then Grover caught her attention and she was hooked. Having nothing else to do, I sat and watched with her.  
"Who's that?" She asked me, pointing at Grover.  
"That's Grover."  
"Grova." She said and giggled. She pointed, glancing from me to the TV. "Grova!" She giggled again. I laughed lightly. She settled down to listen to Grover as he taught kids the words 'over' and 'under'. "Over...under...over!" She squealed happily, reading the word that flashed onto the screen. She clapped joyously. Whether it be for herself or Grover, I wasn't sure. "Who's that?" She asked me again when the skit switched. I stared at what always came across to me as a big brown elephant.  
"That's Snuffleupagus." I told her.  
"Snuffleupsuhgus?" She questioned, her mouth open and eyes wide in surprise. I had her repeat each syllable after me. I frankly didn't care if she got the name right, but I was enjoying her questioning how to say the funny-sounding name. She looked up at me and giggled.   
"Snuffleupagus." I told her again.  
"Snuffleupsuhgus." She said, still adding that extra 's' somewhere in the middle. She was too little to control those 's' sounds anyway.  
"Good enough." I told her as she snuggled against me. "Have you ever seen this show before?" I asked her. She glanced up at me and shook her head, then turned her attention back to the TV. She was really enjoying herself. I heard a slight rustling sound behind me and glanced back to see Jay leaning against the doorframe, watching us. He waved to me and held a finger up to his lips. He wasn't sleepy at all, so my guess was that he had witnessed just about everything. I smiled and kissed the air silently. He smiled back and returned the gesture.  
"Who's that?" Diana asked me, pointing at Bert and Ernie.  
"The one with the pointy head," I told her, trying to make my hands form the shape of Bert's head, "is Bert."  
"Bert?" She asked, a slight giggle in her voice.   
"Yeah."  
When he appeared on the screen by himself, Diana pointed. "Bert?" She asked again. I nodded.  
"The other guy is Ernie."  
"Ernie?"  
"Yeah."   
She nodded happily and went back to watching. After the show, she looked up at me and pouted.  
"Over..."  
"I know, honey. Hey...who was your favorite?"  
She giggled and clapped.  
"Grova!" She squealed. I laughed. She was so adorable.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jay walk up behind the couch quietly, then hide behind it as she turned her head. She looked at me questioningly, then knelt and peered over the back of the couch. He popped up quickly, taking her by surprise and tickling her. She laughed again and even more so when he kissed her cheeks and forehead.  
"Good morning, girls." He told us happily as Diana, now on her feet, jumped up and down on the couch with her arms out to him. He picked her up and she hugged him tightly.  
"Daddy!" She squealed happily in his ear. He blinked and smiled.  
"Quite the voice on you, little one." He said. "What do you say to a nice breakfast? Then maybe a little shopping?"  
I shrugged and nodded. I was up for it. We got ready and then Jay looked at Diana, whose hair was a mess of tangles, so he attempted to brush out her long blond hair.  
"Want me to do it?" I asked him, knowing exactly how to take care of long tangled messes, as my own hair was long and often got like that.  
"I can do it." He told me.   
I arched my eyebrows, watching him struggle with it.  
"Ow..." She whimpered.  
"Here!" He said, defeated. "I'm sorry, Diana." I laughed, taking the comb and brush from him. "It's not funny." He told me, trying to stifle his own laughter.  
"Hell yeah it is! How the hell do you brush your own long hair?"  
"Same way you brush yours, I'm assuming." He chuckled.   
"I'll have to remember to put that in my tips and tricks book for next time." I laughed, finally brushing Diana's hair out and went on to French braid it.   
"....Tips and tricks book...." He mocked, then stuck his tongue out at me. We finally got going and stopped at a small restaurant on Lake Michigan. Diana looked around and Jason looked at her.  
"Eat?" She asked.  
"Yeah. What do you want?" She shrugged. I helped her look over menu and finally decided on pancakes and some bacon. The waitress gave Diana some crayons and a small coloring book. Jason looked at me. "How are you feeling today? You told me an awful lot last night."  
"I feel a lot better, thanks."  
"Good. I don't like seeing you scared or upset. I care about you too much." He touched my cheek with the back of his hand, then kissed me softly on the lips. We heard Diana giggle, then broke the kiss and looked over at her. "What are you laughing at?" She giggled a little harder and he reached across the table and tickled her a little. Shortly afterward, the waitress brought our food and Diana looked at us.  
"Mine?" She asked. Jay looked at me, frustration setting into his eyes.  
"Do they even feed this child? Every time we've given her something to eat, she asks if it's hers!"  
"I've noticed. Yes, Diana, it's yours." I took her plate and cut up her pancakes for her. "Do you like maple syrup?" She gave me another funny look and I put a little bit on her plate and held it out to her. "Taste it." She cautiously dipped her finger into the syrup and licked it, then she smiled and nodded. While Jason and I finished our breakfasts, Diana ate what she could of hers, then looked at us sadly as she pointed to the plate.  
"Diana? Are you full, sweetie? You don't have to finish it." He told her. She looked at the plate and reached for another piece slowly. Jason shook his head and stood up. "No. You're done. Come on." He took the fork out of her tiny hand and picked her up. She put her arms around Jay's neck as he paid for our meal. "Let's go."  
We drove down to Ohio and managed to find a mall there. Jay put Diana on his shoulders as we walked around. He bought stuff that he could use around Diana, including a car seat and decent winter clothes. He bought hair ties, shoes, snow boots, socks, hats, scarves. You name it, he bought it. He was enjoying buying things for her. When he ended up milling around the necklace stand, I shook my head and placed a hand on his arm.   
"Jason Reso, spoil your daughter and don't worry about me."  
He gave me a knowing look and smiled a devilish little smile. He ended up buying me a cat silhouette charm.  
"I had to."  
I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly.  
"Thank you." I told him, then gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. We walked into a toy store and Diana's eyes lit up.  
"Daddy down!" She exclaimed happily. He picked her up over his head and put her on the floor. She meandered about, playing with the toys.  
"Can you watch her for a second? I'll be right back."  
"Sure." I replied.  
He came back a couple minutes later, a Barbie doll in one hand and the Christian SmackDown! action figure in the other. I covered my mouth with my hands as I laughed. He held the Barbie up to me.  
"You know, it's pretty sad when you can look at both of these dolls and say 'hey...I know them!' "  
"Uncanny likeness, that Barbie doll." I told him, still laughing quite a bit.  
"Amazing that this one still has everything. She must have overlooked this one." He chuckled.  
"You are truly evil." I joked. He bowed slightly.   
"Thank you. I guess I should work harder at it, considering I'm Mr. Innocent to Maria. And while this one looks like Kate's long-lost identical twin, this one," He held up the Christian figure, "looks absolutely nothing like me." He glanced at Diana, who was sifting through the stuffed toys.  
"Just like the shirt, I'm gathering." I said, smiling at the recollection of our first mall excursion together with Maria.   
"Exactly!" He laughed as Diana squealed with joy. We looked down at her to see her removing a Grover doll from the bin that was easily as big as her.  
"GROVA!" She cried, hugging the doll tightly. "Over...under! Over! Under!" She bounced up and down in pure glee as the oversized doll flopped in her arms.  
"I think that she has picked out a toy." I laughed. Jason put the Barbie and Christian dolls down and picked Diana and Grover up.  
"Is this what you want?"  
She nodded excitedly.  
"So Diana, who's this?" I asked her as we checked out.  
"GROVA!" She exclaimed again. He put her back onto his shoulders and moved about four feet, then stopped.  
"Okay, this isn't gonna be pretty. She's on my shoulders and has Grover bopping me on the head with his big blue feet." Jason laughed. He held her ankles in place with one arm draped across them and holding the one ankle in his hand tightly and carried some bags with the other. We got out to the car and Jason set up the car seat he'd bought as I dug around in Diana's new winter clothes. She sat in the front seat and watched me as she clutched Grover closely. I put a new thermal jacket on her, along with a matching fleece hat. Jay finished hooking up the car seat, then put her in it. "Let's go!" He said happily. We drove to the Gund Arena and parked in the back where the others would be, and Diana waited patiently as I unbuckled her. Jason signed for a few stray fans after he got his bag out of the trunk, then walked into the arena with us. We were met by Mick Foley, who looked at us seriously.  
"The hussy has been throwing a hissy. She's been demanding _your_ whereabouts with _her_ daughter."  
"I haven't even been here twenty minutes and she's already working my last nerve. I've had a nice morning with my girlfriend and _my_ daughter and I refuse to allow it to get to me again today." He told Mick as we walked down the corridor.  
"Jason Reso!" Came Kate's dominating voice. Diana hid behind me, clutching Grover's neck tightly with one arm, and the hem of my benchwarmer jacket with her free hand.  
"Minute twenty-one. Tell me something, Mick. Do I have a radar or a sign that says 'insult and irritate me, please' on my back somewhere?!" He cried. "What? What could you possibly want, Kathrine?"  
"Where have you been with my daughter? I have been worried sick!"  
Jay laughed in her face, albeit bitterly.  
"Your daughter? _Your_ daughter, huh? I've been more of a parent to her in the past twenty-four hours than you have in her entire three-year existence! But she's _your_ daughter. Boy, you're a piece of work, you know that? You may dress _your_ daughter in thin sundresses in this weather, but I dress _my_ daughter in a jacket, sweats, a hat, gloves and snow boots! Do you want her to get pneumonia or hypothermia? Possibly get seriously ill or die from your ignorance? Is that what you want? And you were _worried_ about her! YOU! I should be worried about her when she's with _you!_ You have a hell of a lot more money than me, Kate! Dress this child right!" He yelled. "And for someone supposedly worried about her, you didn’t hesitate to leave her behind in strange places in the worst parts of town only a few short hours after smacking her hands and yelling at her for wanting Donna to pick her up! Who knows what kind of filthy-minded creep is waiting for such a golden opportunity of being left with a three year old!" He continued, clearly lacing into her with his words. "But she's _your_ daughter and you were _worried_ about her. Excuse me for not buying that line of bullshit!"   
"Like you're much better!" She yelled back. It was clear that she had no real comeback because he was right. He pulled several receipts out of his pocket, all of which were easily a foot long and some that were longer.  
"Try me." He snarled and proceeded to rattle off the names and prices of everything he had bought Diana. "But I'm no good, right? I'm no good because I care and I don't want her to grow up being your little hoop-jumper. I'm no good because I let her watch TV and learn to read and eat donuts and pancakes with maple syrup and play games and be hugged and kissed and tickled and loved. What a goddamn crime it is to love a child, isn't it Kathrine? I want to know why you have all of that money in your family and you still give her nothing! No love, no time, no clothes, no toys, no peace...no food! Every time I give her something to eat, she looks at me and says 'mine?' "  
"She plays in it, Jason! I give her all kinds of food, but she gets filthy and sticky and plays in it!"  
"She's THREE, Kathrine! Of course she's gonna play with her food and drop some of it on the floor and make a mess out of it! You don't have to eat it! She does!"  
"And I have to clean it!"  
"That is pathetic and extremely lazy. So your solution is to take it away from her or not give it to her at all? Or do you do what Rick does and force feed her and make her finish every damn crumb?" He cried. "Where is that son-of-a-bitch, anyway?" His eyes set right on Rick as he left the locker room. That's when I think Jason lost it. He took Rick and shoved him against the wall, pinning him there by the throat. Diana hid her face in my jacket and I reached down to touch her trembling back and rub it gently. "I found out some things last night. You and Kate fight -- fine. Exchange words -- fine. Exchange physical blows -- that's ,em>not fine! I don't care how much of a bitch she is, I have _never_ laid a hand on her! You are also making a second career of doing this fighting in front of _my_ daughter, which I don't like either. I had better not find out that you have laid one finger on my daughter, because if I do, so help me, I will tear you apart!" He snarled. "I don't care how you were raised, but do _not_ inflict it upon _my_ child by force-feeding her!"  
"Jason, that's enough, man. Let him go." Said Dwayne as he and Steve Williams (Stone Cold) pulled Jason away from Rick, who gasped and coughed, trying to catch his breath.  
Kate yanked Diana away from me by her arm.  
"No!" She screeched.  
"Come here!"  
"No! Donna _me!_ " Diana wailed.  
"Let her go, Kate. Look at what you're doing to her." I said. Kate looked from Rick to Jason to me to her daughter, then back to me and shoved Diana at me.   
"Whiny little brat!" She shouted at her daughter, then turned and walked away as Rick stumbled back into the locker room. I picked Diana and Grover up and she clutched onto him as she wrapped her arms around my neck tightly, sobbing. Jason, meanwhile, was still getting calmed down and spoken to by Dwayne and Steve.  
"If we let you go, you go toward Diana and Donna, not toward that locker room. Don't throw away your career to knock his lights out." Dwayne told Jason.  
"I'm calm. I'm fine."  
"Okay. Come on, now. Look at those two pretty young ladies you have waiting for you. They need you." Steve told his friend, letting him go. Dwayne followed suit and let go as well. He ran up to us and put his arms around us tightly.  
"I'm sorry, Donna. I'm so sorry."  
"It's okay."   
We walked into a room where Amy, Matt, Jeff and Adam sat. I handed the leather jacket back to Matt, who looked me in the eyes.  
"What the hell happened out there?"   
"Rick's face almost ended up having my fist imprinted into it." Jason said angrily as I put Diana down.  
"Hey! She has clothes! Like, winter ones!" Jeff said happily.  
"Yeah. I bought her a ton of clothes."  
"And rattled it all off in Kate's ear." I chimed in.  
"Good. Maybe she'll get the hint." Matt replied.  
"Not likely." Adam moaned.  
"Is this your new buddy, Diana?" Matt asked her.  
"Grova!" She exclaimed. "Over! Under!"  
"She saw Grover today when she watched Sesame Street for the first time, and she just loved him. Those are her favorite words today -- over and under." I laughed. Matt smiled and nodded. Jason sat down beside Adam and relaxed. He waved me over and pulled me down between them, wrapping his arms around me and slowing his breathing down. "It's okay, Jason."  
"I did it again --"  
"That was something you wanted to do since last night. You're fine now. You're calm." He just sat there for a while as everyone else talked about the SmackDown card for the evening and watched Diana play with her Grover doll. It was then that I began to wonder exactly what we could do to avoid them at all costs.

**********

When Vince saw my part in the Globe's story, he invited me to do a column for the RAW magazine, which I gracefully accepted. Maria, on the other end, had a new job as working correspondent for a weekly behind-the-scenes WWF column in the Globe itself. She couldn't have been happier.   
A few months passed by somewhat quietly. Those quiet months allowed me to leave my job and begin training for my new role as 'Angelica'. I rolled my eyes at Jason when he had initially come up with the name, especially combined with the cowgirl idea that Vince took an immediate liking to, but it grew on me after a while.  
Amy, Joanie and Stephanie became my closest in-federation friends, and spent hours giving me tips and teaching me tricks. As Kate's character began her turn into a heel and Jason kept doing things 'accidentally' to throw his and Adam's matches, I began to sense that my time was rapidly approaching. I knew everybody well at this stage, but my being liked behind the scenes had little to do with if I'd be liked out in that squared circle. Of course, the majority of my being likable depended heavily on Jason's being a heel or a face.   
One night close to my debut, I walked up to Jay and Adam, who were flippantly discussing who would be what, even though they already knew. Both men were dressed in their wrestling attire, complete with sunglasses. Diana, who sat on Jay's shoulders, kept trying to take Jay's off of his face, though.  
"Daddy please?" She asked. Jay pulled his blue-tinted sunglasses off of his face and Diana put them on, laughing as she did so. Jay gave her a kiss on the cheek, then looked at me and smiled. I was happy to see them so happy. The papers were filed and Vince's lawyer had told Jay that he had a very good chance of getting sole custody of Diana.  
"Hi guys."  
"Hey Angel."  
"What's up, Donna?" Adam questioned.  
"Not a whole lot."  
"Getting anxious for your debut?" Adam asked me as Diana now reached for my new cowboy hat that was going to be part of my stage outfit. I put it on her head and she grinned.  
"Anxious and nervous." I laughed.  
"Yeeee-haw!" Jeff called down the hall to me as he and Matt walked up to us.   
"Shut up Jeff." Matt said with a smile.  
"Thank you." I told Matt.  
"It's like this: yippee-yai-yay!" Matt continued. I smacked him playfully on the shoulder.  
"Very funny, you two smartasses!"  
"Jason Reso!" Kate screeched.  
"Is it just me, or does her voice sound like fingernails on a chalkboard?" Adam asked with a slight chuckle as Jay visibly cringed at the sound of her voice.  
"I hate when she screeches my last name like that! 'Reeeeso'! " He screeched, mocking her, then wrinkling his nose. "With that screech, my guess is that she has received the court papers."  
"Good guess." Jeff moaned, pointing at Kate, who was stomping down the corridor, waving some papers. She got right in Jay's face and stared him in the eyes coldly.   
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" She yelled. He pulled his head back and arched an eyebrow at her as Diana hugged him and looked away from her mother. My hat fell off of her head and I caught it and put it on.  
"What's wrong, Kate? Can't read?"  
"You will _not_ get custody of _my_ daughter!" She yelled, her nose almost touching his.  
"Back up." Jason said calmly.  
"I want to know what the hell you think you're doing!" She continued, not budging.  
"Back up, Kate." He repeated, not allowing her to get to him.  
"I demand an explanation!"  
"Well, if you would get out of my face, you'd get one!"  
She finally backed up, still staring him in the eyes.  
"Now explain!"  
He took a deep breath.  
"I have asked and begged and pleaded and demanded and done everything else under the sun to get you to see her as a separate person than me, yet, you continue this little grudge thing you have going on with seeing me as your enemy. You and Rick continue to fight in front of her and one of these days, she's going to get in the middle by accident and then you'll be sorry. If I stood by and did nothing about it, I'd be just as much at fault as you and Rick. You know how I feel about children, Kate. You know I love Diana very much. You don't love her like you should, and that's clear by the way she often shows up, dressed in these horrible outfits, some of which don't fit her right, others that don't match, and her hair all over the place. Dammit, Katherine, if you can spend all the time I know you do on _your_ appearance, why can't you spend a little of that time on her? Did you know that she loves Sesame Street and loves to have books read to her and loves to dance? She also loves donuts and watermelon and her favorite breakfast is pancakes with maple syrup. She doesn't care too much for waffles, but that's okay. Sure, she drops pieces on the floor and gets syrup on her clothes and face and never finishes what's on her plate, but she still enjoys it. She loves hugs and kisses and being tickled and dressing up in Donna's clothes and shoes. She loves cameras and cats and merry-go-rounds and coloring -- although she doesn't stay in the lines because she's only three and scribbles all over the page. She loves Bugs Bunny and Grover and playing with toys. Did you know any of this? She's a robot around you. You control her just like you used to control me. 'Do this, do that. No, you have to go with me and do this, screw you and what you have planned.' She's afraid of you and mortified to act like she does around Donna and I because she knows it will make you angry. Somehow, I'm beginning to wonder if, in fact, you're trying to dominate Rick like you did me and your getting physical is because he won't allow it. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not advocating it. I'm just making a guess." He said and took a deep breath. "Diana's giggle is so sweet and so innocent and she has such a wonderful imagination. Damn, Kate. You have no idea whatsoever how beautiful our daughter is. I give you a little bit of credit. Why can't you do the same for me? She's not just yours or just mine."  
Instead of answering, she simply turned and walked away.  
"Somebody acquired quite the mouth." Adam said to his best friend. "Where did it come from? You're standing up to her now!"  
"You know man, some things are more important to do when there's a good reason behind them. Jay replied as Diana lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "And right now, I don't think that there could possibly be a better reason."


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

## Chapter 22

I was in a green room that night during the show with Diana when there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in." The door opened, and there stood Rick. "What on earth do you want?"  
"Would I be able to talk to you?"  
"What about?"  
"Kathrine." He told me sadly. "I can't talk to Reso about it. He hates me and with good reason."  
"And what makes you think that I don't hate you?"  
"You haven't tried to choke the life out of me."   
"Rick, sit down." I told him, motioning to the chair across the room. He sat down and looked at me. "You know, that day he came home and found you and Kate in bed together broke his heart. When he told me, he crumbled. Weren't you two friends at one point?"  
"Yes."  
"The thing with Jay is that he trusts everyone and tries to see the good in every person. I'm sorry to say this, but there is no good in Kate."  
"Tell me about it. She doesn't like kids and Diana is tops on her list. She tried damn near everything to make herself miscarry." Rick mumbled. I gasped, not believing what he had just told me.  
"She what?"  
"Yeah. When I told you a few months ago that we only picked Diana up and gave her attention when it was necessary, it was Kate and her father Trent who demanded it. She wouldn't allow anyone to pick Diana up or do anything with her -- even me. When we were home from the road, it was worse. I didn't mean for that comment to sound as cruel as it did when I first said it. Kate is a truly malicious, manipulative and abusive person. She gets it straight from her father. She's absolutely nasty to that tiny angel right there, and most of our fights are about her. I hate getting into the fights with Kate. She's the more physical of the two of us. She will set me off and then get in my face and she'll actually hit me. And I mean _hit._ To the point where she's left bruises and cuts and scrapes on me. She hates companionship, obviously, and loves to be the dominant one. She'd brush Diana's hair, and her hair would be all tangled and knotted from sleeping. She'd get fed up easily because Diana would whimper because Kate would just yank her hair with the brush. When she'd get fed up, she'd throw the hairbrush in Diana's direction and scream at her that it was her fault that her hair was such a mess. Like a three-year-old knows how to fix her own hair. She's lucky she can even speak! She's hit Diana by tossing that brush without meaning to, and of course Diana would cry. When I'd try to comfort Diana, Kate would demand that I didn't and she'd argue with me until I finally gave up."  
"Why do you stay with her? She's so heartless."  
"Although I've tried desperately to make it seem like I'm not, I am attached to Diana. I was worried that if Kate was this mad at her while I was around, what would happen to Diana if I broke off the engagement and the relationship with Kate?" I looked at Rick with concern.  
"She has you that scared for Diana's safety?"  
He looked back at me sadly.   
"Yes, she does. I'm thrilled that Jason has filed for sole custody of Diana. Then I can break it off with that rich little brat."  
I looked up and saw Jason standing in the doorway, his mouth open and shaking his head in disbelief.   
"What the hell is _this_ now!?" He cried.  
"Jay, calm down and listen to me." I told him. “Rick was just talking to me about Kate."  
He stared at me, then looked at Rick.  
"What about Kate?" He snarled as Diana bounced up and down at his feet.  
"Daddy up!" She squealed excitedly. Jason picked Diana up, shut the door and sat on the couch beside me. As Rick ran through everything he had just told me, Jason's face grew very pale, then became a very deep shade of red.  
"Jay, calm down. I can practically see the words 'kill Kate' in your eyes, but you're in the process of doing the child in your arms one hell of a favor." I reminded him. He stared at Rick.  
"Break it off with her."  
"What?!" Rick cried.  
"You don't understand English? Break it off with her."  
"Now?!"  
"Yes, now. Diana will stay with Donna and I from now on."  
"Okay then," Rick sighed, "but I don't think that's a wise move."  
"Jay, why don't you think about this a little more--?"  
"No." he told me, then turned back to Rick. "Why don't you think it's a wise move? Do you enjoy watching Diana get hurt? Do you like seeing her cry?" He asked Rick, his voice becoming a deep growl and his eyes turning black with anger.  
"No Jason, I-I don't." Rick stammered quickly. No doubt that the day Jason had him pinned to the wall by his throat was racing through his mind.  
"Then why don't you think it's a wise move?" Jason repeated at a painfully slow pace.  
"Kate's a nutcase, and it's worse when she's angry."  
"You're not telling me anything I don't know. I've felt her rage before, but that's not my point. My point is that you'd rather endanger your life as well as my daughter's? Funny, Rick, but as much as I've gone from being your friend to hating your guts, I've always had you pegged as smarter than that."  
"Now hold on one second, Reso!" Rick cried, standing up.  
"Sit down, would you?" Jay snapped. Rick sat back down. "Diana is what matters here and the Bride of Chucky obviously has a problem parting with the only part of me she has left that she can run into the ground and use as leverage to hurt me. She's doing to Diana exactly what she did to me. I can see it in Diana's eyes. I can see it in her appearance, her voice and her body language. You don't realize it, but I can see the same demeanor in you too. I have Diana. Now it's your turn to get out of this horrendous situation you're in. It’s certainly not a relationship. I've been where you are. Only difference is, I was more blind to her faults than you are, and I didn’t listen to the people who tried to tell me to leave."  
Rick sat back and thought quietly as he watched Diana kneel on Jason's lap and try to put his sunglasses back on his face. Jay gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and she giggled, then kissed him back.  
"Love you daddy."  
"Love you too, princess." He replied, then looked back to Rick. "So what do you say?"  
"Okay." Rick sighed.  
"Good. Find someone better. I know you can. It took me three years, but I finally did. You can move past Queen Kathrine too." Jay said, then sighed as Diana sat down and rested against his chest.  
"Tell me something, Jason." Rick said. Jay arched his eyebrow. "Is there any time you use force out of the ring?"   
"Other than getting into fights with you?" Jay replied sarcastically. Rick narrowed his eyes at him. "It all depends. I don't like to hurt women. I can't bring myself to do it. There are times where I'll hurt you and I won't care who you are, and I know for a fact that seeing somebody hurting Diana -- or any other child -- would be one of those times. Donna has witnessed another one of those instances where I won't hesitate to use necessary force."   
Rick looked at me questioningly.  
"I was attacked by a former coworker several months ago. Remember my face when you arrived here? That was his doing." I mumbled, looking at the floor and putting my head on Jay's shoulder. Jay responded by putting his arm around me.   
"Oh my god. I'm sorry." Rick told me.  
"I busted the guy's nose, scraped his face and knocked him unconscious, but I would never do something like that to Kate, even if she was hurting Diana. But separating them? Getting involved? Hell yes. Definitely. In a heartbeat. Kate doesn't intimidate me anymore."  
As Rick and Jason continued to talk and work on becoming at least civil to each other, my mind drifted and ended up on Charlie, and it began to nag my mind. I didn't realize how bad it had set in until Jay looked at me and tightened his arm that was around my shoulders. "Donna? Are you okay?"  
I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to allow the scent of Jason's cologne to calm my nerves, but the anxiety didn't fade. It grew.  
"No. I've gotta call home." I got up and jogged down the corridor and picked up the receiver of the pay phone and proceeded to call home. As it rang, I flagged down Chris and Amy, who were walking down the hall, chatting about the respective matches they'd had earlier in the evening. I wanted somebody with me while I checked on things back home.  
My mother finally answered the phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Mom! Hi! How is everything? Is everything alright?"  
"Donna, thank god you called. Are you sitting down or something? Is Jason there with you?"  
"He's down the hall, but Chris and Amy are right here. Why? What's wrong?"  
Amy put her hand on my shoulder and Chris took my free hand in his as I looked at them. They looked back at me, a concerned look clouding each of their faces.   
"Charlie's out. He was released a couple of days ago, and I heard from Janie -- who went to a Wings game -- that he's working at The Joe."   
"Huh?" I said, my mouth not moving to say anything more.  
"Donna? What's going on? Talk to us girl, because the color has drained from your face." Amy said.  
"Come here, Donna. Amy, take the phone." Chris told her, taking the phone out of my hand and pulling me close. I needed the support. Amy talked to my mother as Chris held me tight.   
"I'll have her call you back when she's calm." Amy told my mother after a couple of minutes. "I promise...bye." Amy hung up and touched my face to make me look at her from beneath Chris' comforting, strong embrace. "Girl, I want to remind you of where you are. You’re not getting stock out of the back room of a shop anymore. He tried to assault you in your car in the middle of the night in a parking lot. I know it had to be very scary for you, and I'm sorry. I can tell from the death grip you have on Irvine's shirt that the incident is replaying in your mind right now. You are not in that parking lot and you are here with lots of friends who will defend you, and Jay will never allow him to get his hands on you again. Dammit girl, I _still_ want to beat his ass. Point him out to me the next time the WWF hits Detroit and I'll take care of his punk ass!" Amy told me. I smiled, loosening my grip on Chris a little bit.   
"I think there'll be a line out the door of people waiting to get in a good punch or two on him. You're in good company. You don't have to worry about that slug."   
"Thank you both for making me feel better."  
"Do you _really_ feel better, or are you just saying that to humor us?" Amy laughed.  
"I really feel better." I said honestly, my heart truly feeling uplifted by their thoughtful support and words.  
"Donna?"  
I looked at Jay, who walked up to us, holding Diana in his arms.  
"Take care of her, Jay. I'll see you guys back at Donna's place." Chris told him. We were supposed to go with Chris and Jessica to the zoo close to my house on Thursday.  
"I'll see you guys in Phoenix. And remember what I told you, okay, Donna?" Amy said. I nodded. Jay looked at me.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Charlie's out and he got a job at the Joe Louis Arena."  
"Oh, that's great." He moaned, shifting Diana to caress my cheek with his free hand. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. Chris and Amy talked to me and told me not to worry about it. They said that he wouldn't dare approach me without having the entire WWF jump his ass."   
"And that, my friends, is true!" Jay said, stealing Kurt Angle's trademark phrase.  
"Ooh....that really doesn't sound right coming out of your mouth." I laughed.   
"Yeah, but it's still true." He told me with a slight laugh. I called my mom when we got to the hotel as Jay got Diana ready for bed. I helped him tuck her in and then we walked to our room. I didn't allow myself to think about Charlie anymore. Instead, my mind was focused on Jason as I tried not to make it obvious that I was watching him remove his shirt as he began to get ready for his shower. Trying not to stare, I reached into my own bag and pulled out my pen and spiral notebook. I opened it to where I had left off the night before and chewed lightly on the pen cap, trying to get my train of thought back on track. He looked at me in the mirror as he brushed out his long blond hair. "I see something in your hand that I haven't seen in quite a while. You know I love your writing."  
"Well you haven't seen the notebook and pen because I've been penning this one while you've been in the shower every night."   
A wicked smile crossed his lips.  
"I think that I have a feeling where this short story is headed." He told me, the devilish smile now dancing in his sapphire-blue eyes. I looked away shyly. "Oooh...I'm actually right?"  
"Yeah." I mumbled. He tossed his hairbrush onto the dresser and walked over to me. He took the pen out of my hand gently and pulled me to my feet. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.   
"What do you say to us seeing how close your story is to reality?" He told me, his voice a little husky now. I felt my face get warm with embarrassment. I knew that I was being horribly shy for some reason. I also knew that I shouldn't be because we've seen each other many times now, but for some reason, a shower setting was different to me. This particular fantasy that my mind had come up with was bringing forth a shyness that I hadn't felt since our first night in a hotel together. "Oh Angel, I didn't mean to embarrass you."  
"It's just my shyness showing through. I've always been this way. Trust me, it's nothing to do with you."  
"Okay then." He said and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you so much. I'll be right out." He walked into the bathroom as I went to check on Diana really fast, who was sound asleep with Grover in her arms. I ran back into our room and shut the door behind me, then looked in at him and sighed, silently cursing myself. Then I stopped doing that and decided to take this opportunity. I walked in quietly and took in the sweet smell of soap that had filled the bathroom as I watched his silhouette through the opaque curtain.  
"I know you're in here, Angel. It's okay." He told me.  
"Sorry Jay."  
"It's okay." He insisted.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course."  
He reached past the shower curtain to blindly pull a towel from the rack as he shut off the water with his other hand. He then opened the curtain, stepped out, walked over to to me and proceeded to give me a deep kiss.  
"You're dripping all over me." I laughed when we broke the kiss. He arched his eyebrows and shook his head, his eyes playful.  
"I don't care."  
"Oh you don't? Well then, you also have one arm around me," I said as playfulness set into my attitude as well, "and I'm not too keen on half-hugs without a good excuse."  
He backed up and nodded toward his other hand, which held the towel in place around his waist.  
"If I bring my other arm up, I'll drop the towel."  
I licked my lips seductively and allowed a really devilish grin to play on them.   
"I don't care." I told him, returning his comment. "It's still not a good enough excuse." So he hugged me with both arms, letting the towel drop to the floor.   
And once again, he knew exactly what to do to make the reality better than my fantasy, and I loved every single moment of it.

*********

In the middle of the night, I woke up to a soft sniffling at the foot of the bed. As I struggled to open my eyes and allow them to focus on the shadows of the dark room, the sniffling made its way to my side of the bed.  
"Donna..." Diana whimpered. Now wide awake, I sat up, reaching toward her blindly and pulling her into my arms. She sat there, clutching Grover to her chest with one arm and with her free hand, clutched a fistful of my shirt.  
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"  
"Diana? Is she okay?" Jay asked, rolling onto his back so he could look in our direction.  
"Monster." She whimpered. Jay sat up and turned on the lamp that sat on his side of the bed.  
"Where's this monster? Daddy'll take care of him."  
She shook her head vigorously.  
"Want me to go too?" I asked her, stroking her hair gently. She nodded slightly. "Okay." I held Diana close to me and she rested her head on my shoulder, sniffling. We walked into her room and turned on the overhead light, then Jay knelt beside the bed and looked underneath it. He looked up at us.   
"No monster under here." He walked over to the closet and pulled the door open. "No monster here." He left the door open and walked into the bathroom and turned on the light, moving the shower curtain and then looking behind the door. "No monster here either." He walked over to us. "Princess, where'd you see the monster?" She pointed to the window. Jay walked over to it and moved the curtains around, then looked at us.   
"No monsters, sweetheart." I told her. "All gone. Want us to tuck you back in?" She shook her head.  
"No..." She whimpered.  
"Wanna sleep with me and daddy tonight?"  
"Yes." She sniffled.  
"Donna--"   
"Jason, she's frightened." I said.  
"Alright, fine." We walked back into our room and settled into bed. She curled into a fetal position, holding Grover close to her, and fell asleep. "If I didn't have you, this whole thing would be wearing me out." He told me.   
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Jay. You'd do very well with her on your own. She really adores you."  
"I know that she does." He was silent for a couple of moments. "You know, the whole time from the moment we met has been a total whirlwind. I can't believe it."  
I reached over Diana to touch his shoulder.  
"I know. Me either."  
He reached back and took my hand in his as we fell asleep.


	23. Twenty-Three

## Chapter 23

The next morning, we travelled back to Michigan to see my family one last time before my first long stint on the road.   
"Hi guys! Come on in! Oh, look at this little one!" My mother said, oohing and aahing over Diana.  
"Mom, this is Jason's daughter, Diana."  
"Hi Diana."  
"Hi." She mumbled.  
"She is beautiful. Looks a lot like you, Jason. Look at those stunning eyes!"  
"Thank you." Jason replied, beaming from ear to ear. "I'm doing what you did. I have a good chance at getting sole custody of her."  
"Kitty! Kitty!" Diana squealed, trying to get down.  
"Be nice to the kitties, princess." Jay told her, putting her on the floor. She chased after the cats as I picked up the smallest one of the bunch, my mother's cat Troy.   
"Diana!" I said. She stopped and looked at me as I sat on the floor with the cat in my arms and she ran up to me.  
"Kitty!" She exclaimed, reaching for Troy.   
"Nice..." I told her as she pet the white and grey cat. Jay talked to my mom about the suit as Diana played with Troy.  
"...I just don't want whoever decides this suit to see me as some vengeful guy out to take his daughter away from her mother. It's not like that at all. Diana is miserable around Kate." He told her, wiping his eyes. "I don't want to do something wrong and lose my chance to raise her, or worse, perhaps never see her again. Vince is planning to let Kate go after the suit is settled, no matter which way it ends up. If Kate was even the least bit affectionate toward Diana, I'd settle for joint custody, but I can't. She wants nothing whatsoever to do with Diana." He went on to tell her everything that Rick had told us the night before.  
"Jason, I went through the same anxiety. She sounds like a very manipulative and vicious woman."  
"It has me wondering if she's ever been successful in the past with making herself miscarry without my knowledge, but I don't think I really want to know. I'm thankful Diana is around. The thing I don't get is what could possibly cause her to be that messed up that she'd risk her health and her life just to do something to hurt me?"  
"Attention?"  
"She's a spoiled brat who didn't want to grow up!" I told him angrily. "And being pregnant requires that you do! She's a total idiot, Jason! If I got pregnant, that thought wouldn't cross my mind in a million years!"   
"You're making it sound like I'm arguing with you!" He replied in the same tone.  
"I'm sorry, but that whole thought kills me! She had other options!"  
He turned around quickly and looked at me, swallowing hard.  
"No...no, she didn't. I would have done then exactly what I'm doing now and Diana would be a normal child and not some little robot!"  
"She's not 'some little robot' anymore, Jay." I said as Diana plopped down into my lap, continuing to pet Troy.  
"Nice kitty." She cooed, looking up at me and smiling. I looked down at her, smiled, and then looked back up at Jay.   
"She's speaking a lot and I can see a change in her in these three short months. She's recognizing words in books we read to her, she's showing affection...she's not Kate's little robot anymore."  
"She still hides from Kate and when they're together, she stares at the floor, clams up and becomes stiff in Kate's arms."  
"That is because of the lack of affection Kate showed her by not picking her up when she was a baby. That has nothing to do with right now. She knows how Kate is, Jason. She's very smart and she knows who's who. She's around us almost constantly now and she thrives on everything we give her."  
He sighed and watched Diana quietly for a few minutes, then spoke.  
"Thank you for not walking away from our relationship because of Diana."  
"Why are you thanking me? It's like I told you when I first let you in on Kate's secret -- to leave you because of Diana would have been selfish of me. I'm not that way." Diana got up and walked over to her bag and pulled out her Grover doll and a Golden Book that had been a favorite of mine since I was little: The Monster at the End of This Book. It featured -- who else? Grover. The three-and-a-half-year-old now had a Grover obsession. She toddled back over to me, struggling with her oversized Grover doll and the book. I helped her out and she sat on my lap, clutching the doll tightly and sucking her thumb as I began to read to her in my best Grover imitation. By the time I got done with it, she felt very heavy and wasn't moving.  
"She's asleep, Donna." My mom said.  
"Aww...is she really?"  
"Yeah. Here, let me help you." Jay told me, lifting her out of my lap cautiously, then placing her on the couch, where she readjusted her grip on Grover's neck and curled up with her knees to her chest as I pulled her Sesame Street blanket out of her bag and covered her with it. Jason then looked from her to me, then shrugged. "Now what?"  
"Want to watch a movie?" I asked, pulling him toward the staircase.  
"Donna, what about--?"  
"Jason, go. I'll keep an eye on the baby. You both look like you need a little bit of down time, not to mention sleep -- without worrying about Diana." My mom told him.  
"Okay." He replied, welcoming the opportunity. We walked up to my room where we were greeted loudly by my cat Pooh-Bear. As Jason looked through my movies, I checked my messages. A couple of hang ups, then a message from Maria.  
"Girlie, I had to get the latest scoop from Jeff and Amy! Way to go on becoming a valet! Show up that prissy princess! Give me a call when you get this! Later, Don!"  
I smiled, making a mental note to call her sometime over the next three days. I had a couple more messages and then the last one on the tape turned my mood around entirely.  
"Donna, I wanted you to know how happy I am to hear that you got a little job in the WWF as some eye candy for the guy fans. So tell me, when are you coming back to Detroit to see me so we can finish what we started, huh?" Charlie's voice came over the machine. I felt Jason's arms around me, but the sound of Charlie's voice horrified me. I tried to push Jason away.  
"No! No don't touch me! Don't!"   
"Angel, it's me. It's okay. He won't hurt you! I won't let him!"   
"I'm sorry!" I wailed.  
"Why are you apologizing?"  
"I should be over it!"  
He pulled me away from him and looked me in the eyes.  
"You can't move past something you never talk about, Donna."  
"I did talk about it!"  
"Two sentences in the midst of telling me about your past relationships is hardly talking about it."  
"I can't bring myself to talk about that night any more than I can bring myself to talk in detail about the fights I've had with my exes! I can't, Jason!" I cried.  
"Hey now...come on, Angel. I'm not demanding that you talk about any of it right now. You're not ready. I was just saying that you can't move past it if you don't talk about it at all. As in, ever." He told me, wiping my tears away gently. "And phone calls like the one we just heard don't help matters any." He held me tightly for a few more minutes, then we settled in to watch a movie. He pulled me to lay down on top of him and he stroked my hair gently as we watched the movie, and I laid there calmly, allowing his slow, steady heartbeat to soothe my nerves. Feeling safe and protected in his arms, I was able to fall sound asleep.

*********

"Hey sleepyheads!" Said a voice on the other side of my door.  
"Aw god..." Jay moaned. "Go away, damn you!"  
"This is your wayyyyyke up call!"  
"Shut the hell up, Irvine!"  
"There's a munchkin out here who wants to see some bears!"  
"Well tell her that she's hanging out with a lion right now."  
"It's not the same, jerky! Come on!" Chris cried. I giggled, reluctantly letting go of Jason's waist so he could sit up.  
"I swear that I'm gonna gag you one of these days..." Jay grumbled playfully. I yawned and smiled slightly as Jay struggled to his feet. I opened my eyes and watched him get dressed. "Wake me up at the hotel, wake me up at home, wake me up at Donna's...!" He continued, pulling his jeans on and ended up tripping over Pooh-Bear, who scampered up to my side and under the covers. Jay pulled himself to his feet, trying not to laugh. "Trip over the damn cat!"   
"You've gotta watch that--"  
"Shut up that mouth! My daughter's out there, Irvine!"   
"She wouldn't know which 'cat' I'd be referring to anyway, Reso!" Chris chuckled.  
"I don't need her having a dirty mind at three years old! Could you _please_ keep the 'cat' and 'rooster' zingers to a minimum today?"  
"Yes _sir!_ " Chris laughed as Jason pulled a shirt over his head. Jason opened the door to greet his friend. "Damn. You look like hell! What'd you do? Get dressed in the dark?"  
"Gee, thanks for the support. I knew I could count on you." Jay replied sarcastically.  
"Anytime!"   
"Come in, Chris." I told him sleepily.  
"Daddy! Will we see beahs today?" Diana asked.  
"The little one has an accent. How cute!" Chris said. I smiled in response to that. It did sound like that, when in truth, she had no 'r' pronunciation control yet.  
"Yes, we're going to see some bears, princess. Here. Wake Donna up." Jay said, putting Diana by me. I played along, pretending to be asleep.  
"Donna, get up!" She said, patting my shoulder with her hand.  
"I see how it is, Donna...they get a frame and I don't!" Chris laughed.  
"Sign it and I'll frame it." I said, tossing a pillow in the direction his voice was coming from.  
"Please wake up!" Diana begged. I opened my eyes and she laughed and clapped. "Yay! Beahs!"  
"Got a marker?" Chris asked. I looked at him and laughed, then gave Diana a quick kiss good morning and sat up.  
"Bothers you that much, does it?"  
"Well of course it does! Makes it look like Edge and Christian are getting top billing over the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla!"  
"Well she is dating me and not you, jerky!" Jay exclaimed.  
"Hey! Gimmick infringement is not cool!" Chris replied matter-of-factly.  
"If you would both shut...the hell...up for a minute, I'd be able to get ready to go." I told them.  
"Oh now you're starting in. That sooo reeks of heinosity!" Chris exclaimed.   
"Smartass." Jason mumbled.   
"Hey man, turnabout is fair play, you know!"  
I got up and dug out some light clothes to wear then brushed my hair and grabbed my Dallas Stars hat off of my dresser.  
"Let's get Diana ready." I said.  
"And you're a Panthers fan?" Chris asked me.  
"She's a regular Benedict Arnold, but look at you, Mister Rangers, Flames and Islanders!" Jay laughed. "At least I stick with one team."  
"One team that sucks!" Chris said quickly in the midst of a fake coughing spell.  
"They'll win the Cup."  
"Yeah. When I'm eighty!" Chris teased.  
"That's still too soon for the 'Laffs'!" I chimed in.  
"Oh, both of you can shut up anytime you see fit." Jay grumbled jokingly. When we reached downstairs, Jessica stood up and shook my hand. She stood about five-feet-seven-inches, was thin but not a rail, had platinum-blond hair that fell just below her shoulders, and pretty peridot-green eyes.  
"Donna, this is my wife Jessica Lee Lockheart-Irvine."  
Jessica laughed lightly.   
"You can call me Jess or Jessie. You don't have to use all four names like Christopher Keith Irvine here." She told me, glancing back at her husband as she returned the favor and used his entire name.  
"Jess, this is Jason's girlfriend, Donna."  
"You didn't use her whole name! Why did you use mine?!" She giggled, smacking her husband's shoulder playfully.  
"Well, I don't know her whole name."  
"Thank god." I moaned, rolling my eyes and smiling. Jason got Diana ready and I packed some sunscreen and a water bottle for her and then we were on our way.

*********

We arrived at the Detroit Zoo around 10:30. Jay put Diana onto his shoulders and held onto her ankles.   
"This should be interesting. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been to a zoo?" Chris asked.  
"My guess would be about thirty-two hours ago, give or take an hour."   
"Not that kind of zoo, screwball!" Chris replied.  
"Well, you said a zoo. You never specified which kind!"   
"Very funny."  
"Diana, have you ever seen monkeys, giraffes or lions before?" Jess asked the little girl who was perched on Jason's shoulders. Diana shook her head.  
"Jess, you get to meet this...this..."  
"Thing." Jay said coldly.  
"Okay..." Chris said, tilting his head to one side momentarily, "...at WrestleMania next week. She has apparently deprived this child of everything."  
"That's her mother, guys. Come on."  
"Jess, I'm serious."  
"She hates Diana." Jay said absently. "We're here to have fun guys. Can we please not talk about Kate?"  
"Fine."  
"Sure." Jess said. "Diana, do you have a favorite animal?"  
"Beahs!"   
"I love it!" Chris laughed. "She is so cute!" Jay smiled as Chris put an arm around Jessica's shoulders.  
"Want to go to the butterfly garden, princess?" He asked Diana as I wrapped an arm around his waist.  
"Yeah!"  
So we walked into the enclosed glass building.  
"Oh man! Okay, I don't know about the rest of you, but things buzzing around my head and landing on it and divebombing me is not a good time to me!" Chris exclaimed.  
"Chris, they're butterflies, not bees!" Jason laughed, watching his friend wave his arms around to keep the butterflies away from him.   
"I don't care what the hell they are!" He exclaimed jokingly.  
"Pretty flies!" Diana cooed, pointing at the butterflies fluttering around her and trying to touch them. She was in awe at the sight, unlike Chris, who was still shooing them away.  
"Butterflies, Diana." Jay told her.  
"Buttahflies." She said.  
"Close enough." I told him. He nodded.   
"Would you look at this one?" Jay said, nodding toward Chris.  
"There's one on my back, isn't there? They're on my head. Jason, I swear...!" Chris yelped.  
"When they're in the garden at home you don't mind them."  
"When they're in the garden at home, they're not divebombing me! It's not funny!"  
"Knock it off, Chris." Jessica laughed, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “You’re such a damn idiot!”  
"Yes...please knock it off, Chris!" Jay chimed in.  
"Well, you don't like bats! He played a gothic vampire for two years and he hates bats!" Chris retorted, continuing to wave his hands about like a madman.   
"Dave's the vampire. I wasn't!" Jay told Chris lightheartedly, trying to stifle his laughter.  
"Even so...goth garb and all, you still hate bats!" Chris said. "Get me the hell out of here!"   
"Just you wait. The fun is coming to a fast close." Jason laughed.   
"You call this fun? Let me stick you in a dark, bat-filled cave for a half an hour!"  
"You wouldn't want to do that." Jay said.  
After a few more minutes, we walked out and around until we found the lion exhibit.   
"My fellow lions!" Chris exclaimed, stretching his arms out as if he was waiting for a giant hug from one.  
"Oh geez..." Jay laughed. "Give me a break!"  
"Big kitty!" Diana gasped, staring at the lion.  
"Diana, that's a lion." I told her.  
"A....huh?"   
"A lion."  
"Not a kitty?"  
"Not like the ones at my house, sweetheart."  
"Rawwwwar!" Chris growled.  
"Chris, you're not a lion. And the man has the nerve to crack on me about taking medication for hallucinations...."   
"He's on something, but it's not the kind that helps the hallucinations to go away." Jessica giggled.  
"Ssh! Do you hear that?" Chris said as one of the lions roared. "My feline brother is talking to me! ROAAAAAR!"  
I bit my lip in a failed attempt to stifle my laughter. Diana giggled, watching him. We all knew that he was doing it to make Diana laugh, and it was working, but Jessica and Jay were having fun at Chris' expense anyway.  
"Chris? Honey, take it easy, okay?" Jessie told her husband, patting him gently on the shoulder. "We'll get you some help and get some of that medicine and everything will be okay."  
"I'm the lionheart! RAWWWWWAAAAARRR!"  
Diana laughed again, only harder this time.   
"You're something, all right." Jay laughed as we finally moved along and reached the monkey exhibit.  
"Diana, do you know what these are?" I asked her.  
She looked at the animals behind the fence for a few moments then shook her head.  
"They're monkeys." Jay told her.  
"Monkeys!" She exclaimed, pointing at them.  
"Ohh! Ooh ooh!" Chris said, jumping about and proceeding to do his best monkey imitation. Diana laughed again, looking from the monkeys to Chris.  
"Out of everyone in the federation, we pick to go to the zoo with Doctor Doolittle." Jay joked. Jessica and I laughed and nodded in agreement.  
"Can I take you anywhere and not have you act like an escapee from the local nuthouse?" Jessica laughed. Chris looked up at her from his crouched position near the ground.  
"Nope!" He said proudly and continued to act like a monkey...literally.  
"I didn't think so."  
"Daddy down?" Diana questioned, her eyes focused on Chris and his crazy antics. Jay lifted Diana over his head and Diana ran up to Chris, who stood up. "Up?" She asked, reaching up to Chris and opening and closing her hands repeatedly.  
"Aww....Chris, pick her up." Jessica urged. Chris looked at Jay, who nodded.  
"Go ahead."  
Chris picked her up and we moved on. Along the way, I noticed Diana hug Chris and nudged Jay so he could see.   
"Aww..."  
We stopped in front of the bear exhibit and Diana clapped.  
"Beahs! Yay!" Diana cheered.  
"What's wrong, Chris? No bear imitation?" I joked.  
"There's no way to imitate a bear!"  
"My foot!" Jay exclaimed.  
"What'd you do?" Chris asked.  
"Very funny! I didn't do anything! You can so imitate a bear!"  
"Well? Show me how, then."  
"I don't feel like it."  
"That's because it's not possible!"  
"Only you and the WWF writers can make it possible for me to act as stupid as humanly possible."   
"Isn't it great?" Chris laughed. Jay did his bear imitation and Diana giggled and clapped. "There you have it, ladies...the Oscar-winning performance of the year!"   
"Oh you're a riot, Irvine. A regular riot." Jay said lightheartedly, rolling his eyes.  
We ended up leaving the zoo around three and going to McDonald's for lunch. We ate, then watched Jay walk over to the play place with Diana.  
"So is Vince really keeping Kate on the roster until this thing regarding Diana is settled?" Jess asked me. I watched Jason laugh and play with Diana.  
"God forbid that the judge doesn't grant Jason any rights to Diana. He'll be crushed. However, yeah...if it wasn't for Diana being Jason's daughter and the pending custody battle, she'd have been history about two months ago. Vince isn't happy with the way Kate handles herself in the locker room, and he hates her demeanor regarding the fans and how insanely rude she is. Not only that, but she feels the need to constantly pick fights with both Jason and Rick. She can't tolerate even being remotely civil with Jason."  
"She can't?"  
"Jess, she can't stand Diana. Diana doesn't want to spend time with her own mother. Jason and Donna shower her with the attention and love that she's needed since birth." Chris told his wife.  
"She didn't want Jason to know."  
"Huh? It's obvious that he wants to step up and do something that she doesn't, and that's care for the little girl. So why fight for her? Why keep something in your life that you hate?"  
"She gets her kicks out of making Jason miserable. What easier way is there than to treat his daughter like dirt?" I mumbled. Jessica shook her head.   
"Kate's shoved Diana to the floor before." Chris said slowly.  
"She'd better not do anything of the sort next Sunday or I'll rip her head off!" Jessica cried, then quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Ooh, sorry. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but I will shoot her down a few pegs and embarrass the hell out of her. I don't take people hurting children very lightly."  
"I told you she wouldn't have stood for that." Chris told me, giving me a knowing look.  
"I know. I just wish that the judge would stop wasting time and give us an answer before that woman goes off the deep end."   
"Donna, he will get custody. With all of the witnesses that Vince's lawyer has, I'd probably die of shock if he didn't."  
"Me too." Jessica said.  
"Make it unanimous." I said, my voice close to a whisper as we watched Jason toss the multicolored plastic balls in Diana's direction as she'd jump into the center of the bin, then laugh as he watched Diana's smile become a broad grin. "What goes around comes around every time."


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

## Chapter 24

I dragged some old WWF videos downstairs the next morning and put one in.  
"What are you doing, sis?" Danny asked me.  
"Studying, I guess." I laughed slightly.  
"Mind if I 'study' with you?"  
"Not at all."  
Danny sat down and we watched Armageddon together. As the steel cage match started, Danny glanced at me.  
"Christian deserves the push up the ladder. I mean, Jason." Danny corrected himself. "Still a little strange being able to say, ‘that’s my sister’s boyfriend’ after giving you such a hard time about liking them so much. And mom was telling me about the little girl. I'm sorry that he's going through that, and I hope that he gets custody."  
"Me too."  
"I'm really glad you two found each other. He's a good guy."  
"Yeah, he is."  
"Donna?" Said a tiny, sad voice from the top of the stairs. I looked up and saw Diana looking down at me.  
"Hi Diana. Come here."   
"Daddy's sleeping."  
"I know, sweetheart. Come here." She made her way down the stairs and up to me. I pulled her onto my lap and she relaxed against my chest.  
"She really loves you. Don, I see Jay being your last boyfriend."  
I looked at him questioningly.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I see the way he looks at you and how he holds you and I hear how he talks to you. Don, I see him being the one. You know, the infamous 'other half' or 'Mr. Right'?"  
"I hope so. He treats me so well."  
"And you deserve it just like mom deserves Ryan. After all of the losers you've dated, especially that last one before you moved up here, you deserve Jason and don't let anybody tell you differently." Danny said, standing up and giving me a quick hug.  
"Thanks, bro." I told him. Danny switched the tape to an older pay-per-view and Diana looked a little confused when she saw Jay dressed in his Brood gear. She pointed.  
"Daddy?" She asked.  
"Good eyes! That's your daddy alright. He looks different, doesn't he?"  
She nodded, turning back to the TV.  
"Oh you're not _really_ watching those older videos, are you?" Jay said lightheartedly as he made his way down the stairs. He glanced at the screen and laughed. "Wow."  
"Hi daddy!"  
"Hi princess." He replied, picking Diana up and giving her a kiss on the cheek, then leaning forward and giving me a lingering kiss on the lips. "Morning, Angel."  
I smiled. "Morning." Jay turned to Danny and gave him a high five.  
"'Sup, man?" Danny asked.  
"Not much." Jay replied and looked at me again. "Ready for your debut on Monday?"  
"No." I laughed.  
"You have to be!"  
"I guess so. When is Jessica picking us up for the airport?"  
"Around two." Jason said, sitting down with us as my mom and Ryan got up and walked into the kitchen.  
"Hi guys! Who's up for some breakfast?" Ryan asked us.  
"Yay!" Diana cried.  
"Her favorite is what? Pancakes, right?" My mom asked.  
"Ms. Andrews, you don't really have to --" Jason started.  
"If she's going to travel on a plane for three or four hours, I want her going with a happy, full tummy, Jason. The same goes for you and Donna. Now, what would you guys like?"  
Jason looked at me, laughing slightly.  
"She's just like you, Angel."  
"Persistent, bull-headed, and damn proud of it!" I told him with a grin.  
"Yeah, that sums it up."  
A short time later, we all sat down at the table to eat. Diana held a forkful of pancake up to Jay and patted his shoulder with her free hand.  
"Daddy want some?" I was shocked. She was catching up on speaking, learning how to read, learning the alphabet, and learning how to share -- something Kate knew nothing about. She was like a sponge now that she was in the right environment.  
"That's all yours, princess. Daddy doesn't need any of your food." He replied, looking from the three-and-a-half year old to his plate.   
Diana pressed her lips together tightly in disappointment, then looked up at him and patted his shoulder again.  
"Daddy?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Gonna fly today?"  
"Yes."  
She was getting frustrated with her father's replies. She looked at him and patted his shoulder a third time.  
"Daddy?"  
Jay closed his eyes momentarily. He badly wanted to eat his breakfast before it got cold.  
"Yes?"  
"See the kitty?" She asked, pointing to Troy, who was walking along the counter.  
"Yes, I do. Listen, princess, I need you to please eat, okay?"  
She sighed as he turned back to his plate. After a couple of minutes, she tried again.   
"Daddy?"  
"What is it?"  
She patted his shoulder to get him to look at her. We both ended up looking at the tiny, teary-eyed little girl.  
"I love you."  
Jay set his fork down, pulled Diana into his lap and hugged her tightly.  
"I love you too."  
She spent the remainder of breakfast in her father's arms. All she wanted was his attention. She couldn't get enough of it.  
"Hey Diana! Wanna watch Scooby Doo with me?" Called Danny from the living room after we all finished eating.  
"Yeah!" She cheered, running up to the couch and sitting beside my brother. Jay looked at me.  
"She did all of that for attention, you know. She loves being loved. She outright adores you. These past few months have been a whole new, beautiful experience for her."  
"It kills me that Kate has to have her next week. Every single thing we've built up in these three short months will take that woman three seconds to destroy. And if Rick followed through with breaking up with her, we'll be seeing a whole new, nastier side to Kate tonight. The law sucks. I wish that the judge would make a move or something drastic would happen to force his hand to make it."   
"Me too." I sighed.

*******

Chris and Jessica arrived right on time. I said goodbye to everyone as we got in the car. As we pulled away, Chris glanced back at me.  
"So, are you ready for your diva photo shoot?"  
"Who? Me? Pictures of me? No..."  
"Yes, you. You're going to be a diva of the WWF and you need pictures."  
I shook my head.  
"A diva is something I'm not."  
"Oooh....who on earth told you that?" Chris asked, his face twisted in a look of concern.  
"Nobody had to tell me. I just don't think that I'm pretty enough to be worthy of that title."  
"I do." Jay told me.  
"So do I." Said Chris. I shrugged and looked out the window. I blamed the things I said to my sudden twinge of homesickness as well as things Bradley had told me over and over in the course of our relationship. When we reached Detroit-Metro, Jessica and Chris said a lengthy goodbye as Jay and I got our stuff out of the trunk. I took Diana in my arms as Jay took the car seat out of the car. We checked in, followed quickly by Chris, and walked to our terminal. As soon as we boarded the plane, I tried to let go of my anxiety of flying by going to sleep.

********

Jay woke me up when we reached Phoenix.  
"Now comes the fun part: renting a car."  
"Yay." I said, yawning.  
"Donna, you need to calm down. You're too excited." Chris joked. I gave him a small smile in response.   
The path to renting a car was lined with fans along the way who asked both Jay and Chris for pictures and autographs. Of course, there were the slightly nosy ones who were wondering who Diana and I were.   
"You'll know soon enough." Was Jay's only reply. We finally managed to move on and to the rental car places. Once inside the car, Chris spoke.  
"Should I wear a mask? Paper bag? Fangs? Oh wait, that's your department, isn't it, Jason?" Chris joked.  
"Very funny."  
"Either way you cut it, I don't mind the autographs, pictures and chatter, but the personal stuff can go." He said, backing out of the space.  
"That's what worries me about this whole thing with Kate. How long will it be before it's all over the internet? How long until it's a joke to everyone?"  
"Jay, it will never be a joke to anyone. This whole ordeal is the farthest from one that you can get." I informed him. Jay sighed.  
"I wish I could be sure."  
"Don't worry about it right now. Worry about that bridge when you come to it."  
The music Chris turned on in the car made the drive to America West Arena much more tolerable. We pulled in behind the arena, where more fans awaited autographs and photos. Chris and Jason signed and posed for the fans, then we all walked in.  
"Damn, man...where the hell is the radar? Look who's on her way." Chris pointed out.   
"Are you trying to destroy my life, Reso?"  
"That's possible? The rich girl with everything is getting her life ruined?"  
"Yes! You're stealing my daughter and destroying her and Rick broke up with me! Give me back my daughter, Reso!"  
"I'm the one destroying her? If you'd open your eyes instead of your mouth for once, you'd know that I'm doing something that you're clearly incapable of! Donna and I are teaching her how to read, how to treat animals, how to treat people...hell, Kate! We're even teaching her how to speak!" He broke his angry stare to give her the once-over and sighed. "You hate her. You don't care." He pushed past her and walked down the hallway, leaving her staring at me and Chris.  
"Give me Diana!" Kate demanded, reaching for the little girl.  
"No! No! Go away mommy!"  
"Kate, leave her alone."  
She wrestled her away from me and turned to walk away when Diana bit her mother on the shoulder.  
"Little bitch!" Kate yelped in pain, grabbing Diana's chin so hard that she whimpered. "Are you teaching her that, too?" She cried.   
"No!" I replied. Kate let go of her daughter's chin.   
"Stupid little bitch! I can't believe she did that!"  
"I can. And I think you need to lay off of the name-calling unless you're looking in the mirror." I snarled. She turned back around and eyed me.  
"Excuse me?"  
"There is no excuse for you Kathrine." I told her, my voice filled with venom.  
"This from a girl who's dating a loser."  
"You're losing your touch, Kate. Four months after joining the WWF, you've lost your flair to come up with demeaning put-downs."  
"Mommy down!"  
"Shut up!"  
"No! Mommy DOWN!"  
Kate raised her hand to smack Diana and Chris grabbed her wrist.  
"Do _not_ hit the kid." He told her in a tight voice. "Do _you_ like being hit? Do _you_ like to cry and be in pain?"  
Kate shook her head, and I could almost swear that I saw fear register in her eyes.  
"No."  
"Then why the _hell_ would you hit that beautiful little girl? Why the _hell_ do you want to see her cry and hear her wail in pain?"  
"She needs to learn how to listen!"  
"Words work very well! Jason doesn't hit Diana to get his point across!"  
She wrestled her arm out of Chris' grip and walked away, practically dragging Diana behind her.  
"Donna?" Said Shane, walking up behind us. I turned to face Vince's son. "Are you ready to begin getting the star treatment?" I looked at Chris.  
"I'll go talk to Jason. I'll also try to get Joanie to hunt Kate down. You go and give us some good pictures."  
"Alright."  
A half-hour later, I was in my stage costume -- a tank top beneath a (practically) see-through white, long-sleeved shirt, chap-covered blue jeans and brown cowboy boots. As much as I hated the makeup, I had to wear it anyway. After they fixed my hair, I put my hat on and we were ready to go.  
I got so into the shoot that I didn't notice Jason standing off to the side in blue jeans and boots of his own.  
We stopped and the photographer motioned toward Jay. I arched my eyebrow and he grinned.   
"New look? The 'no shirt' look?" I asked playfully. He nodded slightly. "I like it very much, but how the hell am I supposed to concentrate on my _own_ job when you're going to wrestle dressed like that?" He laughed in response, putting his arms around me.  
"Your stage outfit looks wonderful. I told you that you're diva material. How do you feel?"  
"I'm loving it. It's fun."  
"I knew you would."  
The photographer lifted his camera and took a few shots of us together. After a short time, he looked at us.  
"Where's your daughter, Jason?"  
"With her mother."  
"Are you able to go get her? While I'm still set up, I thought that taking some shots of you both with your daughter wouldn't hurt. It's better than wasting the film."  
"Okay, I guess so..."  
He dodged out of the room and the photographer looked at me.  
"Vince said something about a lawyer wanting pictures of the kid with the two of you. Besides, some candids wouldn’t hurt."  
"Oh, I've got it. Damn. The man thinks of everything!" I laughed, shaking my head as I buttoned the first four buttons on my shirt. Jay returned with Diana in his arms a few minutes later. I noticed that he now had a shirt on as he shut the door. He put Diana down and she looked over at me.   
"Donna pretty!"  
"See? Even Diana says so!" We ended up posing for some photos and taking some others of us having fun. "So do Donna and I get these photos?"  
"Of course, but Vince's lawyer needs copies as well."  
"Anything to help the case along." Jay sighed. "Alright you two, Adam and I have a match against Tazz and Raven and I’ve got to get ready in my current ring gear." He gave us both a quick kiss and walked out the door. I walked with Diana into the women's locker room where Amy, Kate and Trish sat. Kate sat right beside my locker area.  
"Hey girl! Are you ready for Monday? You look wonderful! You just had your diva shoot, didn't you?" Amy asked.  
"Yeah." I said proudly.  
"Amazing where you can get by sleeping with somebody." Kate said. I blinked and looked at her as Diana played with my hat.  
"Talking to yourself again, Kate? If not, you should be, seeing as you're the queen of sleeping with people to get what you want!" I snapped.  
"Oooh...." Amy and Trish said.  
"At least I'm a legitimate wrestler and not some little groupie who's a wrestler wannabe!"  
"Legitimate wrestler on which mat? The one in the arena or the one in the bedroom? I'm not one of your many boyfriends who you can beat on physically and emotionally. I've been on that end of the spectrum and I don't have to worry about that kind of treatment from Jason, so I'll be _damned_ if I stand here and take it from you! I'm not Jason and I will beat your ass into the linoleum floor if you give me a perfectly good reason to!"  
"Let's go then!" Kate cried, standing up. Trish grabbed Kate and I felt Amy holding onto me.  
"Wait until Monday." Amy said. "Let it go for now, Don."  
"Let me go, Amy! Let me kick her ass!" I screeched.   
"No. Donna, come on. Do you want to have to leave the roster before you've even been a part of it? Not only that but look at Diana." The mere mention of the little girl caused me to stop immediately. I saw Diana scrunched up in my cubby, hugging her knees and crying.  
"Dammit." I swore, stepping over the bench and kneeling in front of her. Kate pushed me aside and reached angrily for Diana, grabbing one of her braids and pulling on it.  
"Come here, brat!"  
I pried Kate's hand from her daughter's hair and shoved her full force to the floor.  
"Leave her the hell alone, you bitch!" I cried, now seeing red. I was furious. Kate came at me and ended up on top of me. I shielded my face initially, then grabbed her wrists. Trish and Amy pulled her off of me.  
"Stupid slut!" Kate screamed. I looked at her from my spot on the floor.   
"Look who's talking!" I shot back. I looked at Diana, who now hid her face behind her arms and legs, sobbing and wailing. "Diana? Oh sweetheart..." I felt something wet trickling down my chin as I sat up and tasted blood. Kate had busted my lip. As Joanie and Stacy ran in, that freed Amy up to hand me a towel.  
"She got you good, Donna. You may need stitches."  
"Damn bitch!" I cursed at Kate. Holding the handtowel to my face, I turned back to Diana. "Diana? Sweetheart, come here."  
Diana squeezed up tighter into the corner, then shook her head.  
"Want me to try?" Amy asked. I shrugged. "Hey darlin'. It's okay now. No more fighting, baby. I promise."  
"No hit Diana..." She whimpered. I shot an angry look at Kate.  
"Did you hit her?"  
Kate looked up at me calmly.  
"She knows better than to raise her voice, tell me no and bite me!" She growled. My face became very, very warm. I stood up and stepped angrily over the bench. Joanie held me back.  
"That's enough, Donna. I know that she deserves a good ass-whooping from all of us, but we can't." She told me. "Take care of that child. She needs you because she sure as hell can't count on this one to be motherly."  
"No, baby. Nobody will hurt you. Come here." Amy said, holding her arms open to the defenseless little girl. Diana looked Amy over cautiously for a minute, then crawled into her arms. I sat down beside Amy and stroked Diana's hair gently as my free hand held the towel to my now-throbbing lower lip.  
"Get away from my daughter! Give me my daughter!" Kate screamed.  
"Sit down and shut up, Miss Priss!" Joanie cried.  
"NO!" She screamed as if someone was killing her. More people ran into the room from the hallway, including Shane and Jason, who had just finished his match.  
"What's going on?" Shane demanded as Joanie and Trish wrestled Kate into a green room and Shane looked at me. I looked back at him.  
"Is it always this eventful?"  
"Not if we can help it...what happened?" Shane asked me as Jay removed the towel for a moment.  
"Ouch..." Jay mumbled.  
I launched into what had happened. Shane looked at us collectively, then looked at Jason.   
"If I have my way, Kate will be here just long enough for Donna to debut, and then she's out of here. I realize that my father was trying to keep her on the roster as long as the suit remained unsettled, but we may have just witnessed the one incident that will get it resolved in record time, possibly as soon as Tuesday. I can't have Kate attacking people."  
"I understand." Jay said, reaching forward to take his trembling daughter out of Amy's arms, then helping me to my feet. "Let's go and get that lip dealt with. Thanks Amy."  
"You're welcome. Take it easy and I'll see you all in L.A."  
As the medics stitched up my lip on our way out of the arena, I watched Jason and Chris cheer up Diana. As I did so, I prayed for a rather quiet, simple resolution.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

## Chapter 25

I was calm until I woke up Monday morning around three A.M. We were, indeed, being summoned to the judge's chambers the following day in Hartford. I was nervous for two reasons while Jay was afraid of losing his daughter. My two reasons were the decision about Diana and my debut. Everybody I knew would be watching, including Bradley.

Bradley.

What the hell made me think of him? My last twenty-four hours with that know-nothing, drunk, abusive S.O.B. had been pure hell. He managed to get where Charlie didn't, and whatever made him cross my mind on this particular day needed to find somewhere else to go. I rolled onto my side and hugged Jason tightly.  
"Angel?" Jason questioned sleepily as I pressed my face into his hair, which was still somewhat wet from his shower a mere four hours before. He reached back and touched my hip gently. "What is it? Nervous?"  
"Scared." I replied. He rolled onto his other side and wrapped his arms around me.  
"You'll do great tonight." He told me, not knowing what I was even thinking about. I didn't fault him for it because he didn’t know about Bradley, but instead, pressed my face up against his neck. Somehow the smell of the soap he used or his cologne usually calmed me down, but not this time. "Something now tells me that your debut isn't what's bothering you." He said, sensing that there was more to my anxiety by my reaction.   
"You're right." I mumbled. I wanted to keep it from him, that whole horrible day, particularly the one incident, like I had been. The rest of the terror was just routine, or, at least in my mind it was.   
"What is it, Angel?"  
"Nothing." I lied. "I was just thinking about tonight and then I gave a quick thought to who all will be watching, and that's when somebody came to mind for the first time in a little under two years." It was inevitable now. I'd have to tell him, and I was regretting it. I never wanted to even think about that day again. I had worked so hard to shove it to the cellar of my mind and now here I was, fishing it out on what was about to be the most important day of my working life.   
"Somebody...who?" He asked. I’d never mentioned Bradley specifically. He’d always been lumped in with the couple of others who had abused me for a much shorter period of time and who were not as severe. But, here goes. The whole 'you're a lying, cheating little slut, why the hell did I waste the time on you' speech that Bradley said Jason would give me if he ever met me. I braced myself for one hell of an argument and fight.  
"My ex-boyfriend Bradley." I said, pulling away from him and bracing myself.   
"Donna?"  
_You're horrible...why did I bother with you? Come on, dammit, say it! I know you want to!_ My mind screamed.   
"No..." I cried, trying to keep myself from thinking it, from wanting to hear him to say those awful things.   
"This Bradley guy must have done something really horrendous to cause you to recoil from my touch like you are. You haven't mentioned him to me before, but I'd like you to talk about it with me."   
"Why? So you can tell me how horrible I am? So you can call me names?" I sobbed, giving into everything Bradley had told me.   
"No. I'd never do that, Donna. I want to hold you and protect you. I love you, and love doesn't hurt." He told me softly. "What did Bradley do to you, Angel?"  
As I told him, he wrapped his arms around me again really tight, protecting me.   
"Do you still love me?" I asked.  
"Of course I do, Angel. Now I understand the reason behind the dreams, the fantasies and the stories. I somehow feel like I caused that whole day to happen. I am so sorry!"  
"You didn't do it, Jay. He did." I mumbled, my voice muffled by his hair, which had fallen into my face momentarily. " _He_ called me names, _he_ told me that you'd never want a person like me, _he_ took things as far as he could and left me there in my apartment to deal with it all alone. I dealt with it the only way I could. I shoved it away and learned how to do some things on my own. I watched hockey and the WWF. I did exactly what he told me not to do, and that was to write about you and watch your matches on TV. _Your_ dark side kept me going. Your promise -- well, Christian's promise to me in my first dream -- is what kept me from listening to Bradley regarding you and kept my head up and my thoughts positive. If I didn't have that -- if I didn't have _you_ \-- Bradley would have won and I wouldn't be here." I told him, sniffling. "I'm stronger than everyone thinks I am. The only reason I'm weak about it right now is because I've never faced it and I've never told anyone and I know he'll be watching."   
"Give him something to watch, then." He told me, the dialogue familiar from when I wanted him to dance with me the day we met and the crew had been watching. "You're doing something you never thought you'd do, dating someone he claimed would never want anything to do with you, and those two things came from watching something he never wanted you to watch. You have come a long way since then, and guess what?"  
"What?"  
"Your happiness...your success...will be your greatest revenge, Angel. Be happy like I know you are. Feel loved because you know that I'm here by your side and will never hurt you. Show him how strong you are now. Show him that he didn't destroy your spirit to go out and get what you want. You’ve also told me now and you’ve started to face it."  
I tightened my embrace.  
"Thank you. I love you so much, Jason."  
He was quiet. I knew that I didn't need a verbal response. His arms protecting me were all I needed to know how loved I was.

*********

"Room service!" Called Chris in a high-pitched voice.  
"Irvine!" Jay growled.  
"I wanna know, Chris. Did Joanie low-blow you or something? You sound awfully feminine today." I laughed.  
"It's not Chris. It is room service!" He said. "And the maid does not appreciate you implying that he is awfully feminine-sounding." He continued in the voice. I couldn’t help but laugh at his stupid schtick. If anyone could now cheer me up by simply opening his mouth, it had quickly become Chris Irvine. He was becoming more and more like a big brother to me and I loved it.  
"Our not-feminine maid sounds a lot like a high-pitched Christopher Irvine." Jay said, wrapping a sheet around his waist and opening the door slightly. "What? _What _is it, Chris?"  
A devilish grin crossed his face as he looked Jason over, then saw me.  
"Ooh...a toga party! Can I join in?"  
"I'm going back to sleep for an hour." Jay joked, starting to shut the door.  
"Come on, man! Let's go!"  
"Go? Go where? We don't have to 'go' anywhere for at least an hour!"  
"Breakfast, man! Come on! The kid also needs her daily dose of pancakes!"  
"You're killing me, and you do it every time we room together."  
Chris gave his friend a lopsided grin.  
"You honestly think that I'd let it go for once?"  
"That's clearly too much to ask."  
"Of course it is. Hey toga girl!" He called to me.  
"Morning, Christina!" I called back.  
"I know I'm blond, I know I'm beautiful, and I know I can sing, but that genie stuff isn't my style." He said, then tried to do an imitation of Christina Aguilera, pulling his hair up and wiggling his hips a little bit and singing the chorus of Genie in a Bottle. "Then again, maybe it is!"   
He got me. Checkmate. Damn.  
"You win."  
"You know, that was a little more than I care to stomach first thing in the morning. It's too early to put up with you." Jay told him.   
"It's never too early to put up with the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, my toga party pals! Now up and at 'em! The kid needs to eat!"  
"Are you talking about Diana or yourself?"  
"If I was talking about myself, toga princess, I would have said ' _this_ kid needs to eat.'"  
"You know, Chris, if you'd quit upping the ante, I might be able to win a verbal battle or two!" I told him.  
"Aw, I'm sorry! The wits and tongue will get sharper with time." He replied proudly. Jason shut the door behind Chris and we got up and ready for the day.  
"Damn guy." Jay laughed. "What a pest."  
"He's a lovable one though."  
" _That’s_ debatable!" At breakfast, Jason's eyes were trained on Diana, who was eating, but with very little appetite. "Diana?" She looked up at her father. "Are you okay, princess?"  
"Don't like mommy." She replied after a few moments.  
Jason looked at Chris and I, alarmed.  
"Why not?"  
She shrugged.  
"She's scary."  
"Why is she scary?"  
"She screams and she hits."  
"Who does she hit?"  
Diana looked at her plate sadly, then pointed to herself.  
"I want Donna to be my mommy." She mumbled. I reached over and hugged her.  
"Diana, come here." She hugged me back. Jay was quiet...too quiet. "Jay?"  
"To witness what I just did is killing me. It is going to take _every_ single ounce of restraint I have in my body _not_ to ram my fist down her throat when I see her tonight." He said, his voice a deep growl from deep inside him. "Promise me that you will run her into the mat as hard as you possibly can. Please, Donna, swear that to me."  
"I can't wait."__

__********_ _

__We arrived at the Staples Center in L.A. around noon, catching up to Amy, the Hardys and Adam.  
"Jason? Jay! Man, what's wrong?" Adam asked Jay as he sat in the corner, away from everyone. He just wanted to be alone for a bit. Jay shook his head silently and turned away from his best friend, resting his head on the wall.  
"Donna? What is it?" Matt asked me.  
"Diana said some things at breakfast that I hope I'll never have to hear again." As I told them, I kept looking over at Jay to make sure he was alright.  
Amy gave me a knowing look and knelt in front of Diana.  
"Would you like to go with me to watch the stagehands set up the ring?" Diana clutched my hand tightly.  
"Can Donna come?"  
"Of course."  
I picked Diana up and walked over to Jay.   
"We'll be back." I told him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. He nodded slowly as Diana tried to get out of my arms. I put her down and she patted her father's knee.  
"Daddy?" She said, then made a kissy face, followed quickly by kissing noises. He picked her up and hugged her tightly, then loosened his embrace and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."  
"I love you too, princess. Now, go have fun with Donna and Amy."  
She grinned and held her arms out to me. I picked her up again and walked out the door. We walked out to the ring area and watched the stagehands set up. They had on a local station over the P.A. system and Diana was really enjoying the music. She was dancing around and having us watch. When she finally sat down, Amy looked at me.  
"I hope that the judge makes the right decision. There is only one option here. It's scary to think that Diana's life could actually be at stake. Kate probably didn't scare Joanie yesterday, but she scared the hell out of me, and I don't scare easily. She had an absolutely psychotic look in her eyes. I say screw the law. She has no more rights to that kid than I do."  
"If only you were the judge."  
"Jury _and_ executioner."  
"I just hope that it's plain as daylight to the judge."  
"Over the past almost-four months, that man has called every single person -- from her jobs and her family, Jason's family, your family -- into his chambers to be questioned. I told him very frankly what I have witnessed. Everyone on Jason's side -- like me -- says that it looks great for him. The people that he has yet to hear from is that little one in your lap, Jason, Kate and you."  
"It should be a blast." I moaned. I spotted Vince making his way through the sea of empty seats and toward us, being followed by a man around forty years old who was dressed in a suit.  
"Miss Dumas, Miss Andrews." Vince greeted.  
"Good afternoon, Mr. McMahon." We replied.  
Diana grabbed the fabric of my t-shirt in her hands as she looked over the man who was following Vince.  
"This is Mr. Davis. He has been the lawyer working on Jason's custody case."  
"Hi." We replied.  
"Afternoon, ladies. So this is the little one in question, huh?" He said, crouching down in front of Diana, who turned quickly and clutched my neck.  
"Diana, it's okay, sweetheart."  
"No see mommy!" She whimpered, beginning to cry. I looked at Mr. Davis, who sighed.  
"I just want to talk to you, Diana."  
"No! No!" She screeched in my ear.  
"Diana, I don't want to take you to see your mommy. I want to sit here with you and Donna and Amy and just talk to you."  
I stood up and held her close.  
"Excuse me, Mr. Davis. Let me calm her down. I think she's seen a little too much in her short existence."  
"I understand."  
"We'll be back shortly." I walked among the arena's seats for a while, then finally sat down with her. "Diana? It's just you and me right now. I don't expect you to understand what's going on with you, mommy, daddy and I, but I need you to talk to Mr. Davis like you talked to daddy at breakfast this morning. Tell Mr. Davis all about mommy and what happened with mommy and Rick. If you're scared, Amy and I will be right there. And you've got your Super Grover dress on, so I think you can be brave enough to talk to Mr. Davis."  
"Is he gonna take me away?"  
"Away where, sweetheart?" I asked, the question taking me by surprise.  
"Away to live with a new mommy and daddy." I had to remind myself how old this child really was because she was talking like she was older than almost four. She stared at me, teary-eyed.  
"Oh Diana..." I said as tears choked the words in my throat.   
"I wanna live with you and daddy. I don't want a new mommy and daddy." She whimpered. "I'm not scared with you."  
"That's good." I whispered.  
"Is that man gonna take me away? I don't wanna go away."  
"The only man who will take you out of my arms is your daddy." I told her. "That man over there is helping us so that you can live with your daddy." Her eyes got wide.   
"Forever and ever?"  
"I hope so." I said, wiping my eyes. "You have to talk to him and tell him how you feel about daddy and I as well as mommy. He won't hurt you and he won't take you away." I continued, stroking her hair. "Do you think you can talk to him?"  
She nodded.   
"Yes." So we got up and walked up to Amy, Mr. McMahon and Mr. Davis and then sat down.  
Diana stared at her dress the whole time they spoke. She was very scared and very shy. When he finished talking to us, he touched Diana's chin.   
"Diana, you are a very beautiful and strong little girl. I want you to know that. Your daddy and Donna love you very much, and I see that you love them a whole lot, too. Everything will be okay for you after tomorrow. I promise." Mr. Davis said his goodbyes and turned to follow Vince down to the ground floor.  
Jason met Mr. Davis halfway and the two exchanged pleasantries, then Jay walked up to Amy, Diana and I.  
"Daddy!"  
"Hi princess." He replied, picking her up. I smiled up at him as a warm feeling washed over me.   
I knew right then that everything would be okay._ _


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

## Chapter 26

Appearance has never mattered to me. I never wear makeup, never use hair spray and rarely use a hair dryer. Today I was in hell with all three, especially trying to cover up my busted lip. I glanced over at Diana, whose face was covered in lipstick and blush.  
"Look at this!" Jay exclaimed.  
"Diana decided to try her hand at making herself up."  
"I see that! You silly little gremlin. What are you doing?" He laughed.  
"I wanna be pretty like Donna." She told him proudly.  
"You already are." He told her, tousling her thin blond hair. "How are you feeling?" He asked me.  
"Antsy, nervous, scared..." I said with a nervous laugh as Adam strolled up to us.  
"So, I finally get tired of Christian throwing matches for me tonight and make my turn, huh?" He said. He was pretty much back in his Brood gear, which was all black, to indicate his heel turn: black boots, black pants, his signature black leather trenchcoat and dark sunglasses. In lieu of Kate, who was written off of the roster after WrestleMania, Dave was given a spot to give the WWF a Brood atmosphere for a little while during the transition. Dave wouldn't be tag-teaming with Adam, but instead, would be filling a manager-type of role.  
Of course, because of the turn, Edge and Christian would feud with each other for awhile to begin with.  
"Where is Diana going to be during the match?" I asked.  
"With Steph and Vince." Jay replied.  
"Can I make Stephie pretty?" Diana asked, holding up a lipstick.  
"No, baby. Stephie has to work. Maybe she'll let you after the show if you ask her nicely." I told her.  
"Okay."  
He picked her up and she blew me a kiss and waved on their way down the hall to the McMahons' green room.  
I looked back up at Adam just in time to see him roll his eyes at Kate, who was walking down the corridor wearing her wrestling attire and knee brace. She strolled up to us, looking down her nose at us.  
"Good luck." She told me. I arched an eyebrow.  
"Yeah. Sure." I told her bitterly. "Either you're a little late in kissing my ass because you know that you're out of here after Sunday, or you're wishing me luck on something entirely different, because for you to be wishing me good luck in my debut is too far above you."  
"Not likely. I'm wishing you luck for tomorrow. I'll get my daughter back, then I'll just leave this hellhole and disappear with Diana, and Jason will never see her again."  
"You'd like to wish, wouldn't you?" Adam snapped.  
"Kathrine, shut the hell up before I call the cops and tell them that you're plotting to kidnap your daughter." Said Rick as he limped up to us. I had wondered about his whereabouts yesterday in Phoenix. The sight of him supplied me with an answer.  
Various cuts, abrasions and bruises could be seen on his upper body and his face was scraped. His left eye was also seriously bruised and swollen shut. She had clearly done one hell of a number on him.  
"So, Kate strikes again, huh? Nice to see you haven't lost your touch." Jason told his ex-girlfriend, walking up to us. He looked Rick over, then stared at Kate. "Looks like this was the result of an anything-I-can-get-my-hands-on-I'll-throw-at-you night."  
"You think that you know everything, don't you?" Kate asked.  
"I know all that I need to know."  
"And what might that be?"  
"I know that you hit Diana." He said in a low snarl.  
"How do you know that?" She challenged.  
"She's getting _really_ good at talking."  
"She's a lying little brat."  
"Kids don't lie. Especially the little ones like Diana. They learn it from the people around them."  
"You have four months experience with that little brat! I have almost four years! I know when she's lying!"  
"How would you know? She's only been speaking for four months! She spoke to me a few months ago and she didn't speak like she was three! She still reverts back to it!"  
"She's spoken to me before!"  
"Dammit, Kathrine, stop lying to me! You hit her and you know it! You're going to lose her and you know that, too! You won't be able to control either one of us for the first time in a total of seven years, and you hate that! You're panicking, Kate!"  
"I'm not panicking! You are! I can see it deep in your eyes. You're afraid that you're going to lose Diana, and you're right. After tomorrow, you'll never see your little girl again." She hissed, her nose touching his. I noticed Jason opening and then clenching his left hand into a fist several times. He wanted badly to nail her in the face but I knew he wouldn't.  
"I'm giving you fair warning to back up. Back up and go with Adam to prepare for the match."  
"And if I don't, what are you going to do? You wouldn't dare put your hands on me."  
"Do you wanna bet? I'm awfully close."  
"Jay, man, it's not worth suspension or termination. Or court tomorrow. Think about that little girl. Come on." Said Adam.  
"You're not involved, Adam. Please keep it that way." Jay replied without breaking his stare into Kate’s eyes.  
"I will be if you keep it up. Don't make it harder on everyone than it already is." Adam warned him. "Everything Diana told you -- who she wants to live with, everything -- will go right out the window. You'll _both_ lose her. She told you to your face that she doesn't want new parents. Do you want her lost in that foster care system? Think, Jay."  
Jason backed away from Kate and turned to leave as she smiled smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"You haven't changed one single bit. You're still every bit as cowardly as you were the day you found Rick and I together."  
He turned back to face her.  
"Do I _want_ to deck you? Yeah, you could say that I do. Believe me, Kate, if I was the cowardly bastard you see me as in your own little mind, you'd be unconscious on the floor and I'd have my pink slip in my hand and handcuffs around my wrists right now, but I value having both Diana and Donna in my life a hell of a lot more than I value kicking your high-and-mighty ass! Also, if I was as cowardly as you think I am, you know I wouldn't have gone this long without laying a finger on you. I just don't believe in it, and no amount of provoking me is going to change that!" He turned around and walked a few steps away and she charged him like a ram and shoved him. "What the hell are you doing, Kate? If you want me to hurt you, it's not going to happen!" He yelled, turning back around to face her quickly and angrily. "I refuse to do that! Why don't you understand that?"  
Adam stepped in-between them.  
"Easy, guys. Come on!"  
"I told you not to get involved, Adam!" Jay cried.  
"And I told _you_ that I would if you kept it up! **NOW STOP IT!** " He yelled angrily. "Go cool off! We have a match in twenty minutes!" Jay eyed Adam for a good minute-and-a-half, then turned and walked down the hall. "Donna, he'll be alright -- he just needs to be alone. You," He said through clenched teeth as his eyes settled on Kate, "come with me. We have a match to discuss."  
As Adam and Kate walked down the hall, Rick approached me.  
"What happened?" I asked, referring to his face and body.  
"She didn't want me to break the engagement, much less break up with her. I strongly believe that she is certifiably insane, and I can't wait to tell that judge all about the past three-and-a-half years around her and Diana."  
We talked about Diana for a bit until I had to go meet Jay close to the ramp to go over a few last-minute details. I walked up to him, wringing my hands. I was nervous and my glancing out the curtain at the sellout crowd wasn't helping me any. I began to pace in a weak attempt at focusing.  
"Are you okay?" Jason asked, walking up to me slowly.  
"Very, very nervous. How about you?"  
"Better. Donna, I'm sorry that I acted like that, especially considering what you told me a couple of nights ago. I'm so sorry."  
"It's okay. Listen Jay, let's talk about all of that after the match, okay?"  
"Okay." He gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek and wrapped his arms around me. "So are there any questions?"  
"Do the butterflies go away?"  
Jason laughed lightly.  
"Eventually. Anything else?"  
"Where do I come out again?"  
He showed me and we ran through things really quick. Steph and Shane walked up to us and Shane gave me some instructions, then Adam and Kate walked up to us.  
"Ready?" Adam asked.  
"As I'll ever be."  
"Then let's do this." Adam followed Kate up the steel steps. Jay gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.  
"You'll do great, Angel." He told me. Edge's music blasted throughout the arena and he darted up the steps and disappeared behind the curtain.  
"Tip: don't wear your hat out there. It's too cute." Stephanie said. I handed it to her. "It's best if it's left for effect in promos and before matches when you can hand it off to someone. Why the stylist stuck it on you is beyond me."  
"Thanks." I laughed nervously. The three of us watched on the monitor. Jason was so good at acting happy and carefree.  
Mark Lamonica and Devon Hughes (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) walked up to me and wished me luck, then listened for their music. It started soon after, and they made their entrance. The match got underway and as I watched, a strange, calm feeling washed over me.  
D-Von whipped Adam right into Kate, who was standing on the apron, knocking her onto the floor. The three of us cheered. Kate got back on her feet and dodged into the ring and got in Edge's face, demanding what the hell he thought he was doing. He pushed her back slightly, then laid her out on the mat with a spear. She slowly rolled herself out of the ring, allowing the match to continue. The Dudleys got the upper hand and then when they got the tables, Edge snuck up behind D-Von and attempted to put him through a table, but Mark, who was in the middle of a scuffle with Christian, pushed him right into Edge, sending him out of the ring and through a table. Christian, shocked at what he'd done, backed right into D-Von. Bubba set up a table in the ring and quickly made his way to the top turnbuckle as D-Von put Christian on the table. Bubba jumped off of the top rope and onto Christian, breaking the table.  
"Ready?" Shane asked as the ring announcer announced the Dudleys as the winners. Bubba and D-Von celebrated and left the ring as Kate made her way into it. She stood over Christian, screeching at him, then started to kick at him. That was my cue.  
"Go get her, girl!" Steph told me. So I did. I ran down the ramp and slid into the ring. I jumped to my feet and grabbed a handful of Kate's hair, pulling her off of him. If it all looked real, that's because it was. I kneed her as hard as I could in the stomach and gave her a DDT onto the canvas. I was quick to my feet, then used them to kick her wherever I could. Christian made his way to his feet as I yanked Kate to hers and threw her over the top rope. Out of breath and running on adrenaline, I turned to face Christian, who looked back at me, confused. I shrugged, allowing a slight smile to cross my face. It became a look of surprise though, when Edge made his way back into the ring and tapped Christian on the shoulder. Christian turned around and Edge put his hand around Christian's throat and proceeded to chokeslam him. He threw his sunglasses to the mat and looked down at his best friend.  
"That'll teach you to throw my matches!" Edge growled, then looked up at me. He motioned for me to come over to him, but I shook my head and backed into the corner of the ring. He flashed a sadistic-but-sexy grin at me and stepped over Christian. He walked up to me slowly, that wicked grin still plastered on his face. He came up right in front of me and touched my face with his hand. "Don't be scared." He whispered, his way of informing me that he knew what I had told Jason. He then kissed me hard on the lips. That kind of brought me out of character, but I tried to stay focused. I tried to push him away and wasn't successful until Jay came up behind him and hit him on the back with a steel chair. Adam fell to the mat and Jay tossed the chair aside. He looked at me, then held his hand out to me. Trembling slightly, I took it in mine, feeling a little awkward about the kiss, but Jay smiled at me and raised my hands with his.  
"That's what you get when you hurt people for simple accidents!" Jay cried, helping me out of the ring. Adam made his way to his feet as we made our way up the ramp. He started yelling things at Kate, then at us and then threw a fit.  
We made our way backstage and were greeted with tremendous applause. Jay took the opportunity to pull me close to him, wrap his arms around my waist tightly and gave me a very deep, passionate kiss on the lips; a very hungry kiss.  
"You're a damn lucky man, Jay. She's a great kisser." Adam chuckled after he walked through the curtain.  
"Man, shut up!" I told him, smacking his shoulder playfully. Adam rubbed the back of his neck, wincing in pain from the chair shot.  
"That's what you get when you kiss my girlfriend!" Jay said, wagging a finger at his best friend. Adam laughed and shrugged.  
"That's what was scripted, man. Talk to the writers."  
"So was the chair shot. Remember that." Jay replied wisely.  
"Daddy!" Diana squealed when we walked down the steel steps. Jay picked her up and Vince all but ran up to us.  
"Excellent!" He cried ecstatically. "Great turn, Adam! Donna, what a dynamic debut! Jay, what else can I say? Perfect split! Fantastic!"  
Jay looked at me and smiled proudly.

**********

That night, Chris settled in in his room after we tucked Diana into the bed in her room. After she had fallen asleep, Jay stood in the doorway, listening to her deep breathing as she clutched her Grover doll.  
"Are you alright?" I asked.  
"Ask me that question tomorrow night." He mumbled.  
"I'd like to know now, though."  
"What if tonight is my last night with Diana? What if Kate wins and really _does_ vanish with her? I'll go insane!"  
"Jay, please don't think like that. She hurts that little girl. Did you see Rick tonight?"  
He looked at me.  
"I did, and I didn't have to look at him to know what Kate's capable of doing. I know from experience." He told me, then walked into our room. I followed him quickly and shut the door behind me. He sat on the bed and looked at his hands. "Since I don't believe in hitting women, she took that and used it against me."  
I walked up to him and knelt on the bed behind him, putting my hands on his shoulders.  
"You're with somebody who loves you now. I love you very much and anytime you want to talk to me about what happened between you and Kate, I'm here for you and I understand." I told him gently as I allowed my fingers to massage his shoulders. He looked back at me, his lips inviting me to kiss them. I gladly obliged to their invite, giving him a deep, sensual kiss. He reached up and touched my cheek with his gentle hand. I guided him down to his pillow and slowly straddled his waist, allowing my fingers to gently run themselves through his golden hair. I continued to kiss him slowly, feeling his tension decrease more and more beneath my lips.  
We took things very slow and I was successful in my efforts to make him forget about Kate for a while as we took our activity well into the early hours of the morning.  
I prayed and pleaded with God to give the judge guidance to make the right decision the next day, then fell asleep, cuddled closely in Jay's arms.


	27. Chapter 27

## Chapter 27

Jay and Diana were up way ahead of Chris and I. I woke up around nine, while Chris woke up at 9:30. When I made my way out of the room, showered and dressed, I stood and watched them for a while as they read a book together.  
She patted him on the wrist and pointed to something in the book.   
"What's that word, daddy?"  
" 'Buggy.' "  
"What's a buggy?"  
Jay smiled.   
"It's something like a cart or a carriage that a horse pulls behind it."  
"Can you ride in one?"  
"Yeah."  
"Can we ever ride in one?"  
Jay's lower lip trembled and he bit it for a moment.  
"I'd like to think so." He replied, struggling against the tears that he was blinking away.  
"Where do they have them?"  
"New York City, Chicago..." He said slowly, still fighting the tears.  
"If I can live with you forever and ever, then we can ride in buggies with pretty horses all we want, right, daddy?" She asked. He nodded.  
"Yes, princess. All we want." The tears finally fell and he fought a losing battle to keep them silent. I felt tears fall down my own cheeks. She sensed her father's tears and looked up at him, then reached up and wiped them away.  
"Why are you sad, daddy?" She questioned. He shook his head quickly and she hugged him. "Are you sad because I didn't hug you?"  
"No princess, that's not it." He replied, hugging her back. She pouted.  
"Then what is?"   
"Diana, remember what you told daddy at breakfast the other day?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, today, you're going to see a judge."  
"What's a judge?"  
"A judge is a person who settles fights about things that happen in peoples' lives." He said.  
"Who's fighting?"  
"Mommy and I."  
"Over what?"  
"Over you."  
"And I have to see a judge? I won't be a bad girl anymore!" She cried. "I promise! I'll be good forever!"  
"You're not a bad girl, Diana. It's not your fault that we're fighting about you."  
"Mommy and Rick fight about me all the time. Mommy calls us names and she hits. I don't want her to hit you."   
"Oh Diana. Princess, it's not that kind of fight. God, what has she done to you?" He sighed, hugging her close. "You have to see the judge today and you have to tell him what you told me the other day when you were so sad. Now is when I need you to be a big, strong girl."  
"Can I bring Grover? I tell him everything." She asked. I noticed that she was finally getting a handle on her "r" sound. What a time to notice.  
"Yes, you can bring Grover."  
"Will the judge say that I can live with you forever and ever?"  
"I hope so."  
She looked up at him and blinked.  
"What if he doesn't?" She asked sadly.  
"Then you'll have to live with mommy." He told her, his voice barely audible.  
"But I don't wanna live with mommy! She hates me! She tells me and Rick so!" She wailed, pressing her face into Grover's neck. Jay pulled the sobbing girl close to him and comforted her.   
"Jay?" I asked, tears getting caught in my own throat as I walked up to them. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears.  
"What more can I do?" He whispered.  
"We let the judge take care of it." I told him, sitting down beside him and comforting him. 

*********

Everyone was at the courthouse by two. He took Kate in, then Rick, then Jason, then me. By the time he got to Diana, it was around four. Her session took the longest. They were done talking by five thirty. We waited about forty-five minutes for him to decide. When he was done deliberating, he called us all into his chambers and looked at each of us as we sat down. Diana clutched her father's neck tightly.  
"It's okay, princess." He told her gently, stroking her hair.  
"You know, in all my years of deciding custody cases, never has there been one so obvious to me. There are so many people out there who can't have kids and would love to and actually deserve children, and then there are the ones out there who don't deserve such a priceless gift and choose to use and abuse it. I strongly believe that a young life is in peril here. The way I see it, Jason, you and Donna took on an enormous task in Diana, and Diana sees it. She responds to it. It's unsettling for me to see such a vast split in emotions when I mention you and then mention her mother to her. As a parent of three myself, something was given to me not too long ago, and I want to share it with all of you. It's called 'The Job Description of a Parent'.

"JOB DESCRIPTION: Long-term player needed for challenging, permanent work in chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts. There is some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed.

"RESPONSIBILITIES: Must keep this job for the rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule. Must be willing to tackle stimulating technical challenges such as small gadget repair, sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must handle assembly and product safety testing, as well as floor maintenance and janitorial work. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and levels of mentality. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute and an embarrassment the next. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of end project.

"ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: There is no possibility of either. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

"PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, but on-the-job training is offered on a continually exhausting basis.

"WAGES: None. In fact, you must pay those in your charge, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 and attend college. When you die, you give them whatever income you have left.

"BENEFITS: There is no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options. However, the job offers limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life." He finished reading it and looked up at us. "Being a parent is a huge job and an even greater responsibility for those who decide to take it on. Diana told me about things that she's done with her father and Donna. Then when I mention doing things with her mother, she becomes silent. You know who 'told' me? Her little pal Grover there. And you know what 'he' told me? 'She watches her mommy and Rick fight and when Rick walks away, then her mommy finds Diana hiding behind the couch.'" I looked over at Jason, who lowered his face and wiped tears out of his eyes. I pulled him close to me.  
"It's gonna be okay, honey."  
"I don't have to imagine what Kathrine does. Diana used Grover to role-play for me a short time ago. It was the most heartbreaking thing I think I've ever seen. Kathrine, using a child as a pawn in the sick and twisted game you had cooked up is wrong. You don't bring a child into this world to get back at somebody. You also don't terminate pregnancies because you want to hurt somebody. We have medical procedures available for that. The only one you're hurting by doing that is yourself."  
Jason looked up at me, hurt and confused.  
"She's--?"  
"I guess." I said softly.  
"Worse than using Diana as a pawn, Kathrine, you've abused her, and judging by her role-playing, it's been pretty bad. I know from Rick's statements that she's been to the hospital numerous times and she's not even four years old yet. If you can do all that you've done to Jason and Rick -- who I both commend in their shared belief to not hit women -- I don't even want to give another moment's thought as to what you've done to that young child. I'm court-ordering you to get therapy and anger management. It's _mandatory_ that you see a psychologist and get help. On that note, I'm ordering that sole, permanent custody be awarded to Mr. Reso. There are to be no appeals or private visitation awarded on Kathrine's part." Kate stormed out of the room, followed quickly by her lawyer.   
"Do I get to live with daddy forever and ever?" Diana squealed.  
"Yes you do, Diana." The judge told her.  
"Yay!" She cheered. She looked at her father, who was now sobbing hysterically in my arms. "Daddy? Why are you sad?"  
"He's very happy, Diana." I told her.  
"Then why is he crying?"  
"This whole thing has been hurting him very much, Diana. He's been very worried about you. Now he doesn't have to worry anymore and he's happy." She looked back at him and wiped his face with her hand.  
"I love you daddy. I don't want you to cry no more."  
"I love you too, princess." He told her, giving her a big hug.

**********

On the plane to Austin, Texas (where SmackDown was being taped), Jason looked at me, then at Diana. He watched his sleeping daughter as she hugged her Grover doll tightly and turned in her slumber.  
"Jason? Are you okay?"  
He nodded silently.  
"Yeah."  
"Talk to me -- what's going through your mind?"  
"The pills Kate was supposed to take, the hospital visits, the role-playing...I have a feeling that even after Sunday when we don't have to see Kate again, we haven't seen the last of the effects of what she did. Something tells me we’ve only scraped the surface here." He mumbled, reaching over to touch his daughter's hair, then pull the blanket up to her neck. I rested my head on his shoulder as the pilot announced over the P.A. that we were landing in Texas.  
"If Diana needs anything, I know that you'll help her."  
We landed and actually got to the car rental service quietly for a change. Chris arrived at the hotel after us.  
"So?" He questioned seriously.  
"So, Diana's my responsibility now." Jay replied. Chris beamed.  
"That's excellent news! You deserve to raise her. You are both a wonderful influence on her."  
"Thanks." We said. I walked into mine and Jay's room and shut the door slightly.  
"So what else happened?"  
"While Donna was in the rest room with Diana, Kate all but got on her knees, begging me to get back together with her so we could raise Diana together."   
"Are you serious? What did you say?"  
"I told her hell no! I'm happy with Donna. Why the hell would I want to go back to that disaster? Let her hurt Diana? Let her hurt me? No way! Screw that! I have a little girl who needs me and a beautiful woman who I love and who actually loves me back."  
"Good, good."  
"Listen, Chris, I'm gonna go to bed. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow."  
"Alright, man. Glad things worked out."  
"Me too."  
Jay walked into the room and shut the door. I looked at him.  
"How come you didn't tell me what Kate did?"  
"It wasn't important. It's not an option to go back to her."  
"It's always better if you tell me, then I don't feel hurt like I do now."  
"Donna, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think about it like that." He said, walking up to me and giving me a big hug. "I love you so much."  
"I love you too." I replied, relaxing in his arms.

**********

**DAY OF WRESTLEMANIA**

We got up on Sunday in Houston and got an early start. We'd be seeing Kate for the last time and Mick was flying his family in, which meant that we'd be seeing Noelle again. Jessica had met us in Dallas on Thursday morning. The five of us went to breakfast and then we went ahead to the Astrodome, where we were greeted by Shane.  
"Early birds, or what?" He laughed.  
"Today we are. I'd like to get this day over with." Jay replied.  
"How'd everything go?" Shane asked as Jay climbed into the backseat to unbuckle Diana from her car seat.   
"I was granted full custody." I heard him reply.  
"That's great, man! I'm happy for you, and I know that Dad and Steph will be just as happy, if not more so. Rick and I talked on the level yesterday at the hotel in Dallas. He went through some serious hell with Kate. He and Diana both."  
"I know. I’d been there with her myself." Jay mumbled, pulling the sleeping child out of the car, then grabbing Grover with his free hand and kicking the door shut.   
We walked inside and Shane invited us to sit in a green room with him, Steph and Vince for a while, so we did. Vince looked up at us first, then Stephanie.  
"How'd it go?"  
"Very well." Jason said, putting his sleeping daughter on the couch, then Grover. He turned to face his boss and Stephanie with tears in his eyes. "She's in good hands now."  
"Oh Jason! That's great!" Steph squealed, hugging him, then me. Jason looked at Vince as he stood up, then shook his hand.  
"Thank you so much, Mr. McMahon."  
"You are most welcome, Jason. I hope you won't hesitate to ask the next time you need something. I'm very happy that it all worked out for you."  
We all got involved in talking for the next couple of hours until Jason looked down at Diana, who was now wide awake.  
"Hey there, sleepy head! Have a good nap?" He asked her. She nodded silently. "Ready to see Donna and daddy in the ring tonight?" Another silent nod. "You're too quiet." He told her, reaching down and tickling her. She laughed hysterically. When he stopped, she scrambled to her feet and hugged him tightly. There was a knock on the door and Shane opened it. Adam stood there, backed by the Hardys, Amy, David, Paul and Joanie, among others.  
"Well?" Adam questioned.  
"She's sitting here, isn't she?" Jay laughed. More hugs and handshakes. As weird and split as the WWF looked on-screen and in front of the camera, it was quite a different scenario backstage when the cameras were off.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (There's a reason why I'm not a script writer for any wrestling programs LOL)

_Chapter 28_

I got dressed in an aerobic tank top, some aerobic leggings and my wrestling boots, then wrapped a light sweatshirt around my waist.  
"I want to teach you a moonsault and a hurricanrana." Amy said.  
"Amy, those are your moves." I told her. She arched an eyebrow and coaxed me into the ring.  
"Two different backflips with a couple of fancy names. I'm not the one who invented them." She laughed.  
Adam and Jason were sitting ringside, watching us as well as talking animatedly about their match later that evening. I made moves to warm up like Amy and Steph were, then bent over to touch the mat.  
"Work it, baby!" Adam called. Jay howled and whistled. My face grew very warm.  
"Kiss my ass, Adam." I replied sweetly, standing upright, turning around, and looking down at them.  
"She's learning how to fit in. That's nice to see. Tell me though, Donna, since you'd like me to do that, what does your own boyfriend get to do?"  
"His will come later, and he knows it."  
"Things are getting back to normal. I hear the sexual innuendos returning." Matt laughed, walking up to his friends, then sitting down beside them.  
"You hear correctly." Jay laughed. Amy tapped my shoulder. I turned around to face her and Steph. Together, they proceeded to show me different ways to get set up to do a hurricanrana, then Amy executed one on Stephanie.  
"Okay...yeah...sure." I said. They worked with me on that one move for almost three hours until I finally got it right.  
"As long as she doesn't do that to me, I'll be alright." Adam said loudly.  
"Better keep those lips and paws of yours to yourself, then!" I told him.  
"But you told me to kiss--!"  
"Just bite me, okay?"  
"Damn, Donna--what'll be left for me?" Jason whined playfully.  
"Anything and everything you want." I replied, looking down at him. "Only if you're good, though."  
"What if I'm not?"  
"Then we'll have to figure out a suitable punishment for you, then, won't we?" I replied mischievously.  
"Who am I to argue with that?" He questioned with a slight laugh.  
"I think you're her boyfriend, but something tells me that being bad reaps more benefits than being good." Adam told his best friend. "If I were you, I'd be as bad as I possibly could be!" He laughed.   
"Adam, you’re already being pretty bad character-wise toward me, and you're still not getting a damn thing!" I told him, trying not to laugh.  
"Kissing and biting work fine for me!"  
"Shut up! Alannah would be so majorly upset with your conversation." Jay told him.  
"She would not. She knows I'm only kidding with the WWF divas when I say things like that. Besides, she's the only one I'd _really_ take up on that offer anyway." Adam replied proudly. Alannah was Sean "Val Venus" Morley's real-life sister. Jason was slated to be the best man at the wedding, whenever it was supposed to be. They broke kayfabe on the air when Adam told Sean he was sorry, but that Christian would be the best man at the wedding, not him. I remembered that exchange vividly. It was really cute the way they did it, and to break kayfabe on the air was a rarity.   
Amy and Steph smiled. After a couple minutes, Amy had me do a hurricanrana on her.  
"I hate being on the receiving end of those things!" She laughed.  
"You're not telling _me_ anything new!" Jay cried. He was her favorite victim. I glanced over at Diana, who was sitting beside Jay, holding Grover. She moved to get up and pat her father's knee when she looked toward the Titan Tron and froze. I followed her gaze to see Kate walking down the aisle toward us. She didn't look at all like herself. She looked very depressed and upset. Jay glared at her for a moment, then the look faded. "Are you okay, Kate?" She nodded. "Are you sure?"  
She shrugged.  
"If you don't hate me entirely, I'd like to talk to you, Donna and Diana in private when you've got time."  
Jay and I looked each other in the eyes and I nodded.  
"Okay." I said. Jay picked Diana up and I followed them into a green room backstage. Diana clung to her father's neck for dear life.  
"Diana...princess, it's okay." He coughed, trying to get her to loosen up her death grip on his neck.  
"No see mommy!" She sobbed.  
"Princess, your mommy won't hurt you. Daddy won't let her."  
She finally loosened her grip and sat down on his lap, sucking her thumb and holding Grover in front of her face.  
"Okay, Kate. What's up?" I asked.  
"First of all, I wanted to say I'm sorry."  
"You're _sorry? Now_ you say you're sorry? You kept this man locked in his own personal hell for seven years and hurt your daughter and you're _sorry?_ " I cried.  
"Can I please finish before you throw me to the wolves?" She asked, her eyes shining with the same tears that were choking her. Jay touched my wrist.  
"It's okay, Angel." He told me. I turned and faced him.  
"If Brad or Charlie waltzed in here and said they were sorry, you'd do the same thing!" I told him.  
"That's not what I meant and besides, it's different."  
" _How_ is it different? Because Brad got further than Charlie? That's the only difference I see!" I was hurt and upset. I opened the door and dodged out of the room. I ran back out to the ring where everyone else still was.   
"Donna? Don, what is it?"  
"I don't care if they get back together! I just wish he wouldn't stop me when I stand up for him!" I sobbed, sitting in the far corner of the ring, facing away from the ramp. Amy knelt in front of me, followed quickly by Matt, who took me into his arms.  
"What happened?"  
"She was apologizing, and I yelled at her and he told me it was okay. I told him that if Bradley or Charlie were in there apologizing, he would have done the same thing and he told me it was different! It's not different! One factor does not make it different!" I wailed. "He's gonna go back to her because she's _sorry!_ She asked him the other day if he'd go back to her so they could raise Diana together!"   
I was more hurt than I thought. I really didn’t mean to just say all of that.  
"I'm going to talk some sense into him. He needs to stop thinking like a jackass and take a long, hard look at what the hell he has!" Adam cried. “He’d better not go back to her! I watched it happen the first time. I’ll be damned if I watch a second go round now with that child involved!”  
"Donna, calm down, okay?" Matt told me, stroking my hair.  
"What one factor are you referring to, Don?" Amy asked gently. So I ended up telling them about Bradley. So much for pushing it aside. It actually felt slightly easier to tell this time around. Amy gave me a hug, followed by Steph, then Matt put his arms back around me. "Jesus..." Amy swore. "I'm sorry, Don. That's absolutely brutal."  
Matt held me protectively. Quite a while had passed before I spotted Jay under the Titan Tron by himself.  
"This one really loves you! She went through hell to be with you! Why the hell did you minimize her trauma? Because of that goddamned slut backstage? I hope you're happy!" Matt cried angrily. "If you go back to that abusive bitch, don't you _dare_ come crying to me or anyone else in this Federation, Reso!" Such harsh words from the Cameron, North Carolina native. He was defending me, though, and he was furious.  
"I didn't minimize anything!" Jay yelled. "Her last relationship is different than mine! Believe me -- if that Bradley character even so much as opened his _mouth_ to Donna, I'd be right in his face! She didn't have to attack Kate in my defense! I don't want to go back to Kate! I simply told her it was okay as in, 'let her speak, she's gone after today anyway'! It's not worth it for Donna to get so upset!" He continued, climbing into the ring. "I just wanted to give Kate her say before we kick her ass out that door forever!" He went on. "Donna, I told you the other _night_ that going back to Kate isn't an option!"   
"Jay, please calm down." Stephanie told him. He looked at her, fresh tears falling down his cheeks.   
"She couldn't fight back! How can I minimize something like that? It's nowhere near the same as my situation with Kate! Her situation was worse! It's not the same! How can you possibly think...I can't even comprehend being so cruel to her! I can't even stand to think about it!" He cried, sobs escaping his body. "How would I be able to minimize something that traumatic to her when it makes ,em>me feel this way? CAN YOU TELL ME THAT?" He wailed, kneeling beside Matt, Amy and I. Matt let go of me and Jason wrapped his arms around me. I returned the embrace tightly. "I know you heard me talking to Chris the other night. You _know_ how much I love you!"   
I sniffled and nodded.  
"Yes I do." I mumbled. He touched my chin, prompting me to look at him.  
"I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was minimizing what Bradley and Charlie did to you. That wasn't the way it was intended. I hate what they did!"  
I sat silently in his arms, feeling very safe. He sat there and worked hard on cheering me up for the next hour, then he helped me out of the ring and we were stopped backstage by Kate.  
"Donna, I don't expect us to be friends, but I'm very sorry about things that have happened to you, and my flat out rudeness didn't help. I'm sorry about treating you the way I have." She told me. "Diana's in good hands and so is Jason." She held her hand out to me. I looked at it for a moment, then shook it.  
"Alright." I said. We turned to walk toward the locker rooms. "I'm still looking forward to kicking your ass."  
She gave me a halfhearted grin.  
"I'm sure you are, and I definitely deserve it."  
"At least we're finally in agreement."

**********

Over the past couple of days, the doctor she saw put her on some sort of mood-regulating medication in an attempt to level her out. She was in the middle of getting a formal diagnosis, and it was looking like the stronger of the two forms of bipolar disorder, which would explain an awful lot. After Sunday, she was also supposed to start anger management classes while she was working in the WWF's minors circuit. The Federation was going to keep her and give her a second shot, but not on the main roster.  
That's what she had wanted to tell me, as well as Jason. Jason had made a deal with Kate that, provided she continues with the psychologist, the medication and the classes, that he'd let her see Diana with both him and I in the room whenever we were in Ohio.  
Kate was happy with that.  
The loser of our match that night had to leave the WWF. I would have my first victory. It was a match that had been set up for Heat because I was supposed to walk to the ring with Jason during WrestleMania.   
After I got ready, Diana looked up at me, holding her arms out to me.   
"Donna...up please!"  
"Come here, darlin'." I said, picking her up and walking around with her a little until we came upon Dwayne and Michael Cole cutting The Rock's promo. "We have to be very quiet."  
"Kay."  
The cameras stopped for a minute and the duo looked over at us.  
"Oh, don't let us stop you guys. I've got her being quiet and I'll be quiet."  
Dwayne raised his eyebrow slightly.   
"Are you okay?"   
"Yeah. I'm fine."  
"Want to talk for a minute after we finish up here?"  
"Sure."  
After they finished the promo (we had walked in on the end of it), Dwayne walked up to us.  
"So how are things with you and Jason? Is the jabroni treating you right? If he's not, I'll lay the smack down on him for you." He said. Diana giggled.   
"He's treating me like a queen. I shouldn't be, but I'm worried that he might want to get back together with Kate."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Nothing but nagging feelings, because he's telling me that it's not an option."  
"Listen, Donna, all we guys hear him talk about anymore is you and Diana. You guys are his whole world."  
I shrugged, shifting Diana in my arms.  
"I know, but I can't shake the 'he's-gonna-drop-a-bomb-on-me' feeling I have going on."  
"Is it a good feeling or a bad feeling?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"I'm sure that it's just the anticipation of Kate's departure."  
"Perhaps. Or maybe I'm overreacting." He sat down in a director's-type chair and motioned toward a second one beside him. I put Diana in it and began to pace slightly. "It wouldn't be so complicated if she hadn't signed with the WWF."  
"Donna, just remember--"  
"Sorry to interrupt. Don, your match is coming up." David said, walking up to us.  
"Remember, Donna. Everything happens for a reason, and also remember that if she hadn't signed here, this one," He said, motioning to Diana, "would still be an unhappy, scared little girl. Now jabroni, you had the nerve to interrupt The Rock?" Dwayne said, looking at David and sizing him up. "Jabroni, know your role and shut your mouth. Literally. Those fangs scare The Rock!"  
David grinned, showing them to us.  
"Umm...." I said, laughing.  
"Jabroni, The Rock said, 'shut your mouth'!" Dwayne said, trying to stay serious, but laughing instead. "Donna, have a good match. Send her home crying. She deserves it."  
"You bet." I said, picking up Diana.  
"Come on, my sweet." David drawled, getting into character. If it was one thing you could count on at showtime, it was freakier then than it was the rest of the day as everyone worked on getting into character. Then again, David's 'Gangrel' character always freaked me out.   
"Big teeth!" Diana gasped in surprise, staring in awe at David's fangs. David laughed.  
Jason and Shane greeted us behind the curtain as Stephanie walked up to us.  
"She's gonna sit with Collette and the kids, who got here a short time ago. Aren't you, blondie?" She said. Diana reached for Steph, who took her out of my arms. I sighed nervously, then looked at Jay.  
"They're sticking me in this crazy outfit because I have some new valet or something." He said flippantly. I smiled. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wore the necklace I gave him tightly around his neck. The vest he wore was open with no shirt underneath it and jeans with boots completed the look. "I don't get to wear my shirts or crazy sunglasses anymore. It's stressing me out, I tell you!"  
"You? Dammit, I have to concentrate on wrestling Kate and they stick you in that! How can I possibly stay focused with you looking like that?!" I giggled, playing along.  
Adam walked up to us, dressed for battle.  
"Well, well, well...." David said.  
"The gang's all here." Adam added.   
"And as usual, Jason's the most normal-looking of the trio." I joked. Playful scowls showed up on Adam and David's faces as Jay hugged me.  
"Thank you, Angel." He said, giving me a gentle kiss on the lips, causing me to smile. Adam coughed as David groaned in mock protest.  
Hearing the promo of what had happened on RAW, Jason gave Diana a quick kiss and then Stephanie took her out by the ring. Kate made her way over to the curtain. Upon hearing Edge's music, she walked through the curtain, followed by Adam.  
"First real entrance...are you ready?" Jason asked me as we walked over to the curtain.  
"Yeah."  
"See you out there, Dave."  
"Okay."  
It was strange to hear a theme on the volume 4 CD that was hardly ever used prior to right then: Christian's.   
"Let's do this!"  
We walked through the curtain and down the aisle. Jay pointed a sign out to me in the front row. Someone had drawn an angel in a cowgirl outfit and wrote 'Christian's Angel' on it.  
"No way!"  
"You're loved already." Jason said. We made it to the ring and Jason looked at me. "Get in there and kick her butt!"   
"Yes sir!" I joked. Jason and Adam eyed each other as I got into the ring. The bell rang and Kate grabbed my hair. I kicked back and nailed her knee, making her let go. My mind wandered momentarily.  
Wasn't I the one who once told Chris Irvine that I could never do this? Am I crazy? I smiled as I shoved Kate to the canvas. No, I'm not crazy. I can do this and I'll enjoy every second of it. I kicked Kate in the stomach after she got back on her feet, sending her back to the mat. I glanced over at Jason. The look in my eyes must have read 'what do I do now?', because Jay pounded on the mat.  
"Cover her!" He demanded. So I did, and Kate kicked out.  
"Damn." I cursed. She got to her feet and drop-kicked me right in the small of my back. I fell face first into the ropes and she grabbed my shirt and yanked me to my feet by it. I turned around and smacked her hard in the face, stunning her, then shoved her back to the mat.  
Then I did something crazy. I climbed the top rope as she got to her feet and I actually executed a hurricanrana on her, sending her to the other end of the canvas.  
"Yes! Cover her! Do it! Come on!" I heard Jay shout, hitting the mat again several times. I did and I would have had the pin if Adam hadn't grabbed my ankle and yanked me out of the ring. I kicked at him with my free foot.  
"No! Let go!" I screeched. Once on my feet outside the ring, I backed away from him as he kept coming toward me. This went on until Jay came up to him and decided to attack him from behind.  
Once Adam's attention was on Jay, I climbed back into the ring, where Kate got the upper hand. Kate almost had me pinned when she was lifted off of me and DDT'd onto the mat. David lifted me to my feet and slid out of the ring.  
I covered Kate as the ref turned back toward us and counted 1-2-3. That's when I sat up to find Adam and David looming over me. I scurried out of the ring and into Jay's arms. Jay pointed to Adam.   
"Tonight, man! You just wait!"  
Adam sneered at us, then looked at me and kissed the air. I wrinkled my nose as we dodged backstage.  
"How can such a good friend act so sleazy toward me?" I laughed.  
"He's _very_ good at acting his part, or as Dwayne would say, 'knowing his role'. He also has that look about him when he wants to." Jason informed me.  
"So I noticed. Too good, in my opinion. He creeps me out with those looks of his."  
"Are you comfortable with it? I'll get Vince to make the writers--"  
"Jay, I'm fine with it."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. I do know the difference between Adam and his alter-ego 'Edge'. I'm fine."  
"As long as you're sure."  
"Yes already!" I laughed.  
"I'm just looking out for you."  
"I know you are."  
"Go! Get out of here! Leave! I have no need for you anymore!" Edge cried into the microphone at Kate, who ran up the aisle and backstage.  
"You're on." She told Jay, handing him a microphone.   
"Christian! Get out here, brother!" Adam growled into his microphone. "Or do you want me to come back there and drag you out here?"  
I followed Jason back out to the stage beneath the Titan Tron.  
"What on earth could you possibly want? You choke slammed me on Monday night for throwing 'your' matches! _Your_ matches? Since when? They were _my_ matches too, Edge! I wouldn't want to lose on purpose! What sense does that make? And then we had Starr out here, kicking me around when this fine young woman -- Angelica, is that your name? Angel? Angelica?"  
"You can call me anything you want," I told him leaning over to speak into the microphone. "The fans can call me Angel, but THAT one there in the ring...well, he won't be calling me anything at all after what he pulled on Monday night!"  
Jay smiled, giving me a once-over, then looked seriously toward Adam.  
"Like I was saying, this fine young woman, Angel, went after Starr, and you have the nerve to chokeslam me and then force a kiss on her? Who gave you the right to do any of that?"  
"Try? Who said that I 'forced' anything?" He laughed wickedly, an evil sneer crossing his lips. Yuck. He was too good at playing evil. Not only that, but he seriously had the looks for it, which made it very deceiving.  
"I have a match with you later tonight at WrestleMania, but I want it to be a 'no disqualification' match!"  
"You want it? You got it!" Adam cried.  
Jay and I walked back backstage and were met by Kate.  
"Thank you for listening in the end, both of you."  
,em>Go. Just leave. You've done enough. Goodbye. I thought, sighing inwardly.  
"No problem." Jason told her.  
After she left, I peered through the curtain slightly and scanned the crowd for Diana and saw her playing with Noelle, who had on a pair of Jay's sunglasses.  
"God, I hate her. Good riddance." Jason sighed as I backed up to let Adam and David saunter through the curtain.  
"Talking about Kate?" Adam laughed.   
"Who else?" Jay moaned, rolling his eyes.  
"You, sir," I told Adam, poking him on the chest with my finger, "need to stop those looks you give me out there! You give me the creeps!"  
"It's the role! It's the heel in me! They _must_ continue!" He chuckled.  
"Yeah. Okay. Sure." I replied, feigning irritation. "So, tell me -- are you guys using Edge's music or The Brood's later tonight?"  
Adam and Dave looked at each other and then back at me and grinned wickedly.   
"You'll see." They told me.


	29. What's Forever For?

Later that night, we stood in the middle of the ring when the lights dimmed and the arena glowed an eerie red. Seconds later, The Brood's music echoed throughout the arena. I looked at Jay happily.   
"You knew!" I laughed. A playful grin crossed his lips.  
"You'll love it even more when they enter the classic way tomorrow night." He laughed. I looked at him under that light for a fleeting moment. He looked very good, but in some way, it just didn't fit him in my eyes anymore.   
"Do you miss it?"  
Jason shook his head.  
"Tonight as a whole-- seeing this, hearing The Brood's entrance theme, seeing my daughter off to the side there, knowing that Kate's officially gone forever and with you right here...it gives me a major sense of closure. I don't miss it." He replied. "Alright...showtime."   
"No DQ. Jay, please be careful."   
"I'll be fine." He assured me, helping me out of the ring. I stood on the floor, looking up at Jay and Adam while David remained on the floor on the other side of the ring. I was your basic little cheerleader until about halfway through when Adam had Jay pinned and I grabbed his ankle. Adam glared back at me, then stood up and reached over the ropes to grab my hair and I ducked out of the way, laughing and wagging my finger at him. Jay pulled Adam backwards and used his feet as they fell toward the mat to propel Adam over his head. Stunned, Adam laid there. Jay kicked Adam in the ribs repeatedly until David got on the apron and pulled Jay's head hard onto the top rope, in turn, sending him backwards onto the mat. I pounded on the mat several times.   
"Get up! Come on!"  
As both men staggered to their feet, Adam speared Jay right back onto the canvas, then got up and walked over to my side of the ring and slid underneath the ropes, then proceeded to walk toward me with that devilish sneer on his face. I backed up right into David. I dodged out of the way and ran around the ring as they chased me. Jay, I noticed, got a steel chair from outside the ring and waved at me to get into the ring with him. I slid under the ropes and Adam and Dave followed me. Jay laid each of them out with a chair shot to the head.  
That was it. Jay got the pinfall and we bolted out of the ring and backstage. It was there that Jay looked at me.  
"It should be a great run together." He told me. "You're a natural out there."  
"Thank you." I replied as a broad smile crossed my face.

*********

After the show, Collette brought the kids backstage and Diana ran up to Jason. He picked her up and had to balance her on one hip while Noelle wanted to be picked up as well.  
"Christian!" She cried. Their flight had been late arriving and she never got to see Jason before the show.   
"Hi Noelle! What's up, Dewey?"  
"Not much." He replied happily.  
"You guys were excellent tonight -- and look at you, Donna!" Collette squealed. "You guys! Both of you look great!"  
"Donna me! Donna! Please?" Diana begged, reaching toward me. I took her in my arms, allowing Jay to shift Noelle's weight. Noelle threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.  
"Did you miss me?" Jason asked her.  
"Yes!" She cried happily. "Christian, if your girlfriend's in the ring with you and then outside the ring, when am I your girlfriend?" She asked him seriously. Jay tried not to laugh, but he did smile.  
"You can still be my ‘girl friend’ when I'm in the ring, okay?"  
"Okay." Her eyes fell on Diana. "I've seen her two times now and she's nice and stuff, but she's littler than me. Who is she?"  
"That's my daughter, Diana."  
Her eyes got wide.  
"You and Donna have a baby?" She squeaked.  
"No sweetheart."   
"Oh. Okay..." She replied, sounding a little puzzled. Diana rested her head on my shoulder and yawned.   
"Donna? Chris and I are going back to the hotel. Chris is beat. He cut his promo, and is ready to collapse." Jessica told me, putting a hand on my free shoulder.  
"Donna, I'll get a ride with Amy and the Hardys. If you want to go, you can."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. They're staying in the same hotel."  
"Alright. See you all tomorrow."  
"Goodnight Donna."

*********

Jessica motioned for me to follow her and Chris to the couch and chair that sat in the center of the hotel room after Diana fell asleep.  
"We have something to tell you and we took it at face value. However you wish to take it is entirely up to you." Chris said gravely. I looked from him to Jessica.  
"What is it?"  
"Well," Jessica began, "we saw Jason and Kate kissing in one of the green rooms earlier tonight before the match you had on Heat."  
I blinked, not believing what I had just heard.  
"Huh?"  
"He didn't look like he enjoyed it. We booked after he pushed her away." Chris continued.  
"He pushed her away?"  
"He was kind of nice about it." Chris said.  
My heart fell.  
"I'm going home. I'll talk to Vince tomorrow in New York and tell him that I can't do this; to write me out."  
"Donna, isn't that jumping the gun a little?" Jessica asked. I looked from her to Chris.  
"Not at all. I can go home, get my old job back, be stalked like an animal by Charlie and still have my heart in less than a million pieces!" I cried, my voice escalating with each word. "I just regret having to look that one in the eyes when I tell her goodbye for good!" I wailed, tears falling down my cheeks as I pointed toward Diana's room. "I guess Brad and Charlie were right!" I got up and ran into mine and Jay's room and packed what things I had.  
There was a soft knock on the door.  
"Donna?"  
"Brad and Charlie were both right!" I told Chris again.  
"No they weren't."  
"If I was a part of the Godfather's old gimmick, it would fit me to a tee!" I yelled, zipping my bag shut. "What the hell do I do wrong, Chris? You're a friend! Perhaps you can tell me!"  
"You don't do anything wrong, Donna, and the Ho Train is certainly not your style. I really wish that we hadn't said anything now."  
"I'm glad you did. Maybe I can reach around and yank the knife out of my back and move on!"  
I knew I was throwing this all out of proportion, but I was angry and venting it at the wrong person. However, I didn't think that Jay would take too kindly to a black eye, busted lip or broken nose if it was him I was venting at.  
Now in a sudden destructive mood, I grabbed my necklace.  
"Donna, don't do that!" Chris begged. I tugged on it as hard as I could, snapping it, then threw it onto the bed.  
"I'm going home!" I screamed, tossing my bag onto my shoulder. I stormed out of the room and Jessica ran after me.  
"Donna, please! Let Jay tell you his side before you leave!" She pleaded. "He's a great guy. There has to be a reasonable explanation!"  
"He lied! Not just to me but to Adam, to Matt, to Jeff, to Amy, to David, to Dwayne, to your own husband -- hell, probably to you, too! I'm going home before I can get stomped on anymore!" I yelled. "I'm not a doormat!"  
She followed me into the elevator and I pushed the button for the first floor.  
"Please! Donna, please!"  
"No!"  
The elevator stopped on the first floor and the doors opened. There stood Jay, Adam, Matt, Jeff and Amy.  
Chills of fear ran through my body.  
"Hi Jessica...Donna..." Jay said, his tone confused. "What's this?" He asked me, touching the strap of my bag. I was paralyzed. I wasn't sure what to do next. I hadn’t planned on running into him. "Donna?"  
"Move aside, Jay. I'm going home." I told him as strongly as I possibly could.  
"Is your family okay?"  
"They're fine. Please move." I demanded, glancing at the floor.  
"You can't go home. We have shows tomorrow and Tuesday." Jeff said slowly, his tone as confused as Jay's.  
"Please move." I said again. Jay put his hand on my shoulder and I shook it away. "Leave me alone."  
"Donna? What is with this attitude change? You were fine when you left the Astrodome!"   
"Twice in four days! Go back to her! You have my blessing!"  
"What?"  
"You kissed her again! Was this one 'unimportant' too?" I asked, tightening my grip on the strap of my bag to keep from wringing his neck.  
"Now wait a minute!"  
"You want us both in the room when she sees Diana. Tell me something...will there be more explicit, unsupervised visits that won't concern Diana and I soon?" I screeched as everyone boarded the elevator and the doors slid shut. Amy handed me a piece of paper as she and the Hardys got off on their floor quietly. The elevator stopped on our floor and Jessica and Adam got off, leaving Jason and I on board.   
"Come on. Let's go talk about this." Jason told me.  
"I don't want to talk. There's no talking to be done."  
"Yes there is."  
"Get out of the elevator, Jay. I'm going home."  
"No you're not. Not until after we talk about this."  
"If you won't leave this elevator, I'll get on the other one, then!" I told him, then moved toward Adam and Jessica. He grabbed my arm lightly.  
"Please don't go."  
I looked down at my arm, then back up at him slowly and angrily.  
"That's the wrong thing to do right now. Let go of me." I snarled. He let go immediately and stood against the elevator wall. We looked each other in the eyes.  
I was so madly in love with him, and deep in my heart of hearts, I knew he was with me as well. It truly showed in his eyes beneath the tears that shimmered as they got ready to overflow.  
"I didn't kiss her." He told me, his voice a whisper.   
"Liar." I replied, regretting it as soon as it left my mouth. Feeling horrible about saying that, I turned and got off of the elevator, then pushed the down arrow and waited for the other elevator. The last two things I heard as the doors shut behind me was Jay choking on his tears as he cried out to me.  
"Please don't go! I love you!"  
Once alone in the elevator, I leaned against the wall and sobbed.  
I looked through my tears at the paper Amy had given to me.

_'Please come and talk to us before you make your final decision to leave...PLEASE. --Amy, room 208'_

I pushed the second floor button and sighed shakily, tears still falling rapidly down my cheeks.

********

"Come in, Donna." Amy told me. I dropped my bag on the floor and looked up at the trio.   
"He told us everything on the way here." Matt said. "Want to sit down?"  
I nodded, sending more tears down my cheeks.  
"First of all, Jason loves you very much." Jeff said. "Next, he got into the car with us tonight, and the moment he did, he said, 'Kate kissed me again, and I don't know how Donna will react.' "  
"He had a great poker face on all night." Amy said. "Adam demanded to know why, and Jason looked at us and said, 'She gave me a kiss and thanked me for saying that she could see Diana, but she had been really thinking about it and she doesn't want any part in Diana's existence anymore because she didn’t deserve it’, then she wished him good luck with you, told him that you two look great together -- in and out of the ring, and then walked out to finish getting ready for the match."  
"Dammit." I whimpered.  
"Yeah. You can't focus in on one brushstroke and expect to see the whole picture." Matt mumbled.  
"Now I feel horrible and stupid. Not like I didn't before, but now I feel worse."  
"Go back up there and talk to him, Donna. Please tell him you see the whole picture now and talk it out."  
"Okay." I said, then stood up and gave each of them a big hug. "Thank you." I picked up my bag and ran out the door and to the elevator.

*********

"Donna?" Adam questioned.  
"Where is he?"  
"In the bedroom."  
"Thanks." I set my bag down, then walked up to the doorway to find him laying on the bed, listening to the CD player. He was sniffling, trying to hold the sobs back as he clutched my broken necklace in his hands and listened to one of my CDs.  
A familiar little boy's voice crooned into the room...that of eleven-year-old Billy Gillman as he sang a sweet, sad ballad called What's Forever For?

I wiped the tears off of my cheeks as I listened to Billy's message. The next time around, I began to sing along. Halfway through the song, Jay opened his eyes and looked at me, the tears still falling.  
"I thought you were going home."  
I shook my head.  
"No." I said softly. "I love you too much to just up and leave because she kissed you."  
"Do you know why she did it?"  
"Yes."  
"You're not mad anymore?"  
"It was stupid of me to jump the gun like I did. I hate myself for breaking the necklace and calling you a liar. I'm sorry."  
"You didn't know, so don't hate yourself for it. I fully intended to tell you when I got here. I couldn't tell you at the Astrodome. There was too much commotion and there were too many people. Plus, given how you reacted before the show, I knew you’d have some kind of similar reaction.”  
"I understand."  
"It was a very important conversation. Kate doesn't want to see Diana anymore. She told me thank you, but she didn’t deserve any kind of visitation and wished me luck for you and I. The only contact I'll have with her is to send her updated photos of Diana. That's it. The kiss itself was nothing. She kissed me as she told me thank you. Donna, I'm head over heels in love with you and only you." He told me honestly, walking up to me and touching my shoulder. I reached forward and hugged him tightly as Billy continued to sing in the endless loop that the song was in.

'And if love never...lasts forever, tell me...what's forever for?'

(Another lyrics I cannot post the lyrics to due to the site's TOS. To see the full song lyrics, please feel free to Google them)


	30. Chapter 30

When we finally got some downtime while we were doing our Florida tour, Maria agreed to watch Diana and catch up on things with Jeff while the rest of us decided to hang out with my dad James and my old friends and play some hockey. It would be the first time Jason would be meeting the man who took over when my father finally left my mother alone. He assured me that he had been watching me on TV, but I never told him about Jason and I being an item.   
"Look at you, Donna! How are you? You look so happy compared to when I saw you last!"  
"I am. I love my new career. Of course, the next best career would to be a female player in the NHL."  
"That's my girl!" He laughed.  
"The next Manon Rheaume returns!" Called my friend Mike, skating up to us. With Jason and I were Matt and Chris. "Glad to see that our superstar hasn't forgotten about us!"  
"So, care to step in goal?" My dad asked me.  
"I'd love to. Let me suit up."  
"Who are your friends, blondie?" He joked. "I recognize them from the show, but I'm no good with names."  
"This is Chris, Matt and my boyfriend Jason."  
"Well, I'll be damned." Mike said as my other friends and teammates skated over. "Your boyfriend."   
"Do you guys play?"  
"Yes." Chris said.  
"Yes, but I played goalie in college."  
"Ooh...I smell a matchup. Boyfriend versus girlfriend! Who’s the better goalie?" Mike said.  
"And Matt skates like Herman Munster." Jason joked.   
"Shut up, Reso." Matt grumbled.  
"You know Don, when James told us that you had signed with the WWF, we all freaked out. James, man, did you know that she and Reso were an item?" Mike asked, reaching back and smacking my dad on the arm. The deal with Mike was that he was the lone guy I had dated who actually treated me well, but at the time, my self-esteem was shot to hell, and we cut it off mutually after a few months.   
"No! I had no idea! Donna, didn't I tell you that you needed to find a nice Canadian guy?" He questioned playfully. It was an ongoing joke between my stepdad and I because he was Canadian and his pride was high about his country. Truth was, he didn't care who I went out with, as long as he was _nice_ for a change.  
"Dad, he is Canadian." I turned to Jason and explained. "I think I finally shocked him." I laughed.  
"If you didn't shock _him,_ you sure did a number on me!" Mike told me.  
Jason agreed to step in goal opposite me. As I geared up on my end of the ice, Mike leaned on the boards and looked at me seriously.   
"What's up?" I questioned.   
"Don, I care about you a hell of a lot, and you know that."  
"Yes...yes I do."  
"He's not like Brad, right?"  
"No. I somehow managed to find another nice guy like you."  
"Please don't chase him off like you did me. I never saw you the whole time you were seeing Brad until you ended up in the hospital, and you wouldn't say one word to me. Don, that killed me! I just don't want to see you like that again!"  
I looked up at him.  
"You won't."  
"Hey Mike! Man, come on!" Called my friend Alex, who was just stepping onto the ice.  
"See you out there, Don."  
"Okay."  
"Hey there, girlfriend!" Called another familiar voice. I looked up at my friend Jack as he skated down the ice with a puck and shot it at the open net. He skated up to me right after.   
"What's up, Jack?"  
"Not much. Glad to see that you're happy and doing well. Damn...remember when we all used to watch RAW together?"  
"I sure do." I replied, standing up.  
"It's crazy, seeing you on TV, and even crazier to see those three hanging out with us. How long have you and Jason been an item?"  
"Almost a year now. We met when I was on vacation down here. It was my best friend Maria's doing."  
He looked at me seriously.  
"You look very happy."  
"I couldn't be happier."  
"I can see it in your eyes. I can remember watching you watch him on TV and you looked so sad. Now I can see how happy you are with him, and that makes me happy."  
"Thank you, Jack."  
"Hey jerky! Let's go!" Called Chris. I guessed that I was officially a close friend because he gave that nickname to all of his closest friends. Boy, did I feel privileged, and I made sure to let him know how honored I was. I stepped onto the ice after putting my mask on and skated up to him.  
"Who are you calling 'jerky'?" I demanded, giving him a playful shove.  
"You!" He told me, getting in my face.   
"Oh yeah? You want a piece of me?"  
"Yeah, maybe I do!"  
"Come on then! Show me what you've got!" I cried as he grabbed me in a headlock and we fought playfully, ending up on the ice. He got up after we finished and looked from me to my father and my friends.   
"Remind me that she switches personalities when she steps in goal, okay? She can scrap well."  
"Damn right I can, and don't you forget it, boy!"  
"Boy?" He questioned with a laugh.  
"Yeah. Boy. Wanna make something of it?"  
He held up his hands and skated backwards slowly, laughing.  
"No, that's okay!"  
"That's what I thought."  
"Chris, you're now learning something I learned about Donna not too long ago. It's not just on the ice where she gets her attitude. If you make her mad anywhere, she's liable to kick your ass." Jason shouted to his friend through his mask. I smiled.   
Matt sat on the sidelines as Jason, Chris and I all played a great game of hockey with my dad and friends. It felt great to finally vent some of the anger I had stored up waiting for the right time to be released.   
"Manon Rheaume strikes again! Girlfriend, you haven't lost your touch one bit!" Jack laughed.  
"What the hell did you think, Jack? That I'd forget how to play? My opposition at the other end did a totally excellent job, too. How long has it been for you, Jay?"  
"Not since college." He replied, taking his mask off and letting his wet, blond hair fall around his face. I forced myself to look away.  
"See? Longer than me."  
We all hung out at my stepdad's house for a while and ordered pizza, played some video games, and watched a few matches that my dad had taped. It felt like old times, and it was something I was somehow in desperate need of. Maria dropped Jeff and Diana off not too long after all the guys left, then told me that she'd see everyone the following night at the show. I rested on the floor as Jay worked on putting Diana to bed, talking to my dad as he did so.  
"You like how she drops him off like there's nothing going on?" Matt asked me, loud enough for Jeff to hear.  
"Shut up Matt." Jeff grumbled. Matt laughed.  
"And he avoids comment! Proof!"  
"I didn't avoid it. I told you to shut up. Now if you don't, I'll have to kick your ass."  
"I'd like to see you try it."  
"You would?" Jeff said, suddenly amused.  
"Yeah. Come on, man."  
The duo wrestled on the couch. I remained on the floor, watching this display as I tried to fall asleep. I finally felt my eyelids get heavy, and the boys stopped and helped me onto the couch, then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

*********

The next thing I remember is waking up in bed beside Jason, whose arm was contently draped across my chest. I reached up and touched his still-damp hair. Since it smelled of shampoo, I guessed that he had taken a shower while I slept. I slowly moved my hand from his hair to his shoulder.   
"Knock, knock..." Said Matt. I opened my eyes slowly. "Rise and shine, guys. We have to get to the arena."  
"If it isn't Chris, it's you. Go away." Jay said sleepily.   
"Sorry guys."  
"Sure you are."  
We reluctantly got up and ready. We reached the National Car Rental Center around noon and Amy pulled me out to the ring to work a little on learning how to do a moonsault, since we never got around to it some time back.   
"So what did you all do last night?" She asked me, bending forward and touching her toes.  
"Jeff went to Maria's house to watch Diana as the rest of us played hockey with my dad and some of my old friends."  
"Matt played hockey?" She laughed. "I thought Jason said that he couldn't skate!"   
"No, he sat on the sidelines and watched."  
Amy shook her head.  
"So Jason met your father? Was it his first time meeting him?"  
"My stepdad. I hope he never has to meet my father. My father is a real jerk." I mumbled.  
"Sorry, Donna. Was it his first time meeting your stepdad?"  
"Yeah. He likes him a lot. He hated Bradley when he met him. But as far as Jason goes, 'he's a nice Canadian boy', according to my dad."  
"Some compliment." Amy laughed.   
"For my dad it is." I replied with a smile. "I couldn't ask for a better man than Jason. It's hard for me to believe." I stood up and saw several guys talking in the stands. A couple of them were wrestling in a dark match before the show that evening. I took a closer look at the duo's friends and actually recognized one of them. There in the stands, sat Bradley. My blood went cold.  
"Donna? Donna, what is it?" Amy asked me. I shook my head lightly and turned back to her. "You're shaking, Donna. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing. I-I'm fine. Let's work on this move, huh?"  
"Sure..." She replied, confused.  
I could hear his slurred voice in my head screaming the vulgar words and names at me. I was so distraught by his being right there that I kept screwing up the move.   
"Amy, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."  
"Do a hurricanrana. I know you've got that down and I know how much you love that move." She demanded. I did one and it got my confidence back up to a somewhat noticeable level. "Girl, I'm telling you, you have some intense power in that body!" She cried, standing up and holding her back a little as she giggled. I smiled slightly, then spotted Jason up on the stage. He put Diana down and followed the now-four-year-old down the ramp.  
"Hi Angel." He said, giving me a kiss when they finally made it into the ring. When we broke, he looked at Amy and nodded toward the group of guys in the stands. So your friend Corey is wrestling in a dark match tonight?"  
"Yeah, him and Derek. I don't know their pals, but I know that he's cool, although he's trying to set me up with one of those friends of his, and I don't want to. I'm too busy for a relationship right now."   
"Hey Amy! I know that you're working and all, but are we gonna meet your friends soon?"  
"Yeah, Amy. Please?" Brad piped up, locking eyes with me.   
"Yeah, yeah, guys. Chill out, we have all damn day." She turned back to us and mumbled in a low voice. "He's trying to set me up with the clown that just spoke up. He's already tried to put his hands in a restricted area early this morning when they met me at my place, and I backhanded him. I don't take that from anyone, no matter who you're friends with, and I told him so." After a while she dragged us over to Corey, Derek and their friends. "This is Corey, his best friend Derek and their friends Bradley, Tommy and Brian." We all shook hands until I reached Brad. I backed away slightly. Jason noticed this immediately.  
"Donna? What's wrong?" He asked as Diana prompted Amy to pick her up, which she did. Jay touched my cheek softly.  
"I'm fine. I'll be right back." I said in a low voice and walked up the ramp.   
"Amy, would you mind watching Diana for a minute?" He followed me moments later. When we got backstage, Jay grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. "What is it? It isn't normal for you to act like that."  
"Bradley..." I whimpered.  
"That's him? Out there? The one I was just introduced to? That's the guy who hurt you?"  
"Yes..."  
He pulled me into his arms.  
"It's okay. You're safe, I swear." He let go and looked me in the eyes. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get Diana."  
"You don't want to go get Diana. You want to go out there and kill him. No. Just let it go." He started up the stairs to head down the ramp.  
"What he did to you deserves payback --"   
"I deserved it!" I called to him. A fire ignited in his eyes and he turned back to me and walked down the stairs.  
"No, you didn't! Nobody deserves what he did to you! You think that I haven't noticed the faint scars on your back? You think that I don't notice the recoiling that you're doing right now because I'm angry? Damn right I'm angry! What he did to you...." He said through clenched teeth so angrily, he couldn't bear to finish the sentence. "It is unspeakable! You did not deserve it!" He told me, taking hold of my shoulders.  
"Yes I did!" I wailed, trying to get out of his grip that had tightened slightly.  
"He forced himself on you in your own apartment after brutally beating you! Dammit, Donna, you didn't deserve that!" He cried. “Nobody does!”  
"Yes I did!" I screamed again, trying to convince him. “I needed to be punished!”  
"Dammit Donna! You trusted him to love you! What he did isn't love! It was brutal and inhumane! It's time for you to face that day and tell him what is on your mind! You need to face it so that you can move past it! I will not allow your past with that animal to keep haunting this relationship! You keep pushing that day aside just like you keep pushing that night with Charlie aside! You've survived it all, Donna! You're a very strong woman! Why don’t you see that?" I finally shook myself free of his grip and stood there staring at the floor. "Why, Donna?"   
I shrugged.  
"I don't know. I just want to forget those incidents ever happened."  
He sighed, realizing he was fighting a losing battle.  
"You still didn't deserve it."  
"That's your opinion. I'll go out and get Diana." I mumbled, turning around and wiping the tears from my eyes as I climbed the stairs and walked through the curtain. I glanced up to see Amy standing in front of the guys laughing and chatting away. Brad was eyeing Amy as she held Diana on the padded barricade that separated the arena seating from the area outside the ring. I walked up to them, pulling strength from somewhere and pulled Diana into my arms. Amy looked at me.  
"Hey Don." she said. I could feel Brad's eyes on me.   
"Hi Donna." Diana said, holding out her arms so I could pick her up.   
"Hi Amy. I have come to retrieve Diana." Amy pouted.  
"Why don't you stay out here for a few?" She asked, her voice pleading.  
"Actually --"   
"Yeah. Come on, _Angel._ Why don't you tell us how you made it onto the roster?" Brad drawled. "I'm sure that it's a rather enlightening story."  
"Actually, it's not that exciting of a story."  
"I beg to differ."  
"You beg for too much." Amy sniffed. "Leave her alone."  
"I've been begging for a date with you all morning, Amy."  
"Like I said: 'you beg for too much.'"   
Brad's eyes glazed over with anger. The look sent chills up my spine. I had seen it too many times to count. He was being humiliated by a girl in front of his friends and I knew all too well what the consequences were for it. He turned to me with that intimidating look, causing me to instinctively back up a couple of steps.  
"Come on. Please tell us your story. How'd you make it here? You came out of nowhere." He told me.  
"Brad, shut up." Corey said. "She's a very pretty young lady, not to mention quiet, and she seems very sweet. Why do you insist on making her share something that she doesn't want you to know about? Not only that, but you sure do have a whacked-out method of hitting on women. Sorry I wanted to try to get you and Amy together. Sorry, Amy. Just leave them both alone, man."  
"I wasn't hitting on her, you jackass."  
"Yeah, Corey. He's done it already." I said, putting Diana down momentarily, then proceeding to hit my one palm with my fist. "Again...and again...and again...and _again_...and, well, you get the point." I looked up at Bradley. "Isn't that right, Brad?" I said, then looked at Corey. "He likes to hit on women in a different way. Not only that, but if they don't want to 'give it up' as you say, he takes it anyway. He thinks it's his to take." This news took Corey by surprise. I glanced over at Brad to see a small sneer playing on his lips.  
"Donna?" Diana said, tugging at my sweatshirt.  
"Hi baby." I said, picking her up again.  
"Don? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Amy asked, pulling me over to the other side of the ring, out of earshot. "Don, is that the guy you told Matt and I about the day of WrestleMania?" She asked me in a low voice. I nodded.  
"Yeah, that's him."   
"Want him thrown out? Have you got any restraining orders against him?"  
"I never pressed charges. I called the ambulance after it happened, but I never pressed charges. I wanted to forget it ever happened."  
"Oh, Donna." She sighed. "Do you want him thrown out?" She repeated.  
"For what?"  
"He hurt you really bad! The next best thing I can do is kick his ass if you don't let me get him escorted out of here for harassing us, and especially you! I've already smacked him once today!"  
"I'd rather not make him angry, Amy."  
"You know what, Donna? Screw him! Screw... _him!_ He wouldn't _dare_ try anything today!" She snarled in a low voice. "Not if he knows what's good for him, anyway."  
"What's going on?" Questioned Matt, walking up to us. If one thing was for sure, Matt was _very_ protective of Amy. "Jay sent me out here because he'd rather not see the inside of a jail cell today, but I heard that something happened to you at your house this morning, Amy, so I'm not sure that I'll be much better. What happened?"  
"I'm fine, Matt. Really." I insisted. He looked at me.  
"Are you sure? He's the one who--"  
"I'm _fine,_ Matt." I told him pointedly.  
"As long as you're sure. Amy, what happened?"  
"Donna's ex decided to try to be cute by putting his hand on my ass and I turned around and backhanded him. He's still trying to hit on me, and I'm tired of it. He can go to hell."  
"Hey Amy!" Corey called. Amy sighed.  
"Want me to go?" Matt asked her, his eyes ablaze.   
"Nah. I can handle it. If I can't, you're out here now." She assured him.   
"Okay."  
"Is Jason okay?" I asked Matt as Amy walked back over to the guys.  
"He's out back watching cars go by. He's trying to calm down by himself. I think he'll be fine, but he wanted me to come out here to make sure that your ex didn't try to start anything with you ladies."  
"I appreciate it." I followed Matt's gaze over at his friend and the guys.   
"For the millionth time, Brad, I'm not interested. I'm too busy for any kind of relationship. Besides, you're not my type."  
"Are you sure? Come on." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. I glanced over at Matt, who looked like a wildcat that was ready to pounce.   
"Yes, I'm sure." She replied, backing out of his grasp. "I'm very sure that I'm not into guys who think they're Conan the Barbarian when they get to drinking and choose to take out their so-called masculinity on a defenseless woman."   
"Oh, come on, Amy. I know you're not defenseless. I've seen you out there. You could be a lot of fun. Besides that, I'm not Conan. I know how to handle myself when I drink."  
“That’s the biggest line of bullshit I’ve heard _ever_ come from his mouth.” I mumbled. If anyone knew that was a lie, it was me. “Nasty, brutal drunk.”  
Amy laughed bitterly.  
"I'm sure that you do, but I'm also sure that that's the reason that you're not dating anyone. Your schedule's already filled with dates from lefty and righty." She told him. Brad reached back to strike her, and she caught his wrist just millimeters from her face. She stared at him, her pretty features twisting into a frighteningly angry stare as Matt raced to her side. "I'm not your girlfriend, your sister, or any type of relative, and I'm _certainly_ not your friend, so don't even _think_ about putting your hands on me again. Next time, you _will_ get your ass kicked. I don't know who the hell you think you are, but no means no, understand? Try that stunt again, and I _will_ have your ass thrown out of here."  
"I always get what I want." He snarled.  
"Not this time." She replied, shoving him backwards into the seats. Matt put his arms around his friend and glared angrily at Brad.   
"Shot down. Brad, when are you going to learn how to impress a girl instead of acting like a total jackass?" Tommy scolded.  
"When he learns that they don't like to be hit, smacked around, beaten and raped!" I yelled.  
"You liked it all, Donna! Admit it!" He cried, racing to his feet. Matt stood in front of him to prevent him from hopping over the barricade. "You know that you're a little slut! And who taught you? I did! I'd be a great pimp, huh, Donna? Did you have fun sleeping your way into the Federation?! You like it rough, don't you?!" Tears fell and I turned away.   
"That's enough, man. Shut the hell up!" Corey cried.   
"If you don't shut up voluntarily, I'll do it for you." I heard Matt tell him in a low snarl.  
Diana looked up at me and touched my face.   
"Don't cry, Donna."  
"Matt, let go of me. You have the nerve to talk that way to her and then want me to go out with you? I wouldn't give you the satisfaction! Go to _hell,_ Bradley! You wouldn't get the chance to lay your hands on me one goddamn time!"   
"She is! Damned little tramp wanted anything and everything she could get her hands on! That wasn't the case with me! I put her in her place!"  
"By beating the hell out of me? By assaulting me?" I wailed. "You could have just _left!_ Why didn't you just leave?! You could have left! You didn't need to steal my security and my trust!" I put Diana down so I wouldn't drop her. "I was dating you! All I wanted was love after damn near every other guy I dated decided to hit me too! I didn't want to go any further! You made me!"  
"You deserved it! You were constantly out of line!"  
"Out of line? I was terrified of you! You stole something from me! You stole my innocence the day you left! I didn't deserve that!" I cried, walking up to him. Matt let go of Amy, and I felt his arms around my shoulders.   
"You are nothing but a lying little slut who regretted it right after we got done!" I looked away. "You wanted it and I gave it to you! You asked for it! You deserved every single second of it." I couldn't move. I couldn't even bring myself to speak anymore. It felt like he was doing it again. I was paralyzed.   
"Let's go, Don." Amy said softly.  
"You loved it, Donna. Don't pretend that you didn't."  
"Dude, you got your point across. You made her cry. Leave her alone." Brian said.  
"That's right. I'm giving you less than five seconds to back off before I mow you down." Matt snarled. Brad put his hands in the air and backed away from us.  
"Tell me one thing, Donna. Have you slept with the entire roster yet, or just a select few? Because judging by the way Matt is holding you now and the way your favorite buddy Jason kissed you earlier, I'd have to say the latter."  
Matt let go of me quickly and made a lightning-fast move to jump the barricade, only to be stopped by Corey, Brian and Derek.   
"Matt, calm down. He's not worth it. We all know he's wrong." Jay said as he walked slowly down the ramp. "Donna is my girlfriend, I'll have you know. We are very happy and I love her very much. Something you apparently decided not to be when you had her by your side. You know what else? I love her writing, as does Vince. Have you picked up an article by Donna recently? Very well-written and extremely popular with the fans." He said, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist as he nuzzled my neck. "I don't think that you were the least bit successful in keeping her mind off of the Federation. The way you just treated these two young ladies — actually three, counting my daughter, who witnessed this whole sorry escapade -- is absolutely appalling. Excuse me! Sir!" Jay called to a security guard. The uniformed man made his way down to ringside and looked at Jason.  
"Yes?"  
"Sir, this man is harassing these young women and made a move to strike the redhead here. Would you mind too much helping him find his way out?"  
The tall security guard looked at Amy and I.   
"Is this true, ladies?"  
"Yes." We chorused.  
"Alright then. We can't have you harassing the talent. Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."  
"What?! This is my ride home!" He cried, pointing to Corey.  
"You should have kept your mouth shut and your hands to yourself, then. Let's go."  
"Bye, Brad!" I said gleefully.  
"Yeah, really. See ya." Amy said, making snorting noises as Brad was escorted outside. "Damn pig. How could you stand to attempt to set me up with that useless piece of --" she stopped short, glancing down at Diana. "-- garbage?"  
"Ames, I just met him a short time ago at school. I had no idea." Corey said, then looked at me. "I'm sorry, Miss Andrews." He looked at Derek and Brian. "Did either of you know?"  
"Nah man!"  
"Seriously! I don't want to be associated with guys like that! I have a possible career to think about."  
"Good. 'Cause he can find another ride home."  
Somehow, that statement did more harm than good on my mind.

********

After the show, we all decided to grab a bite to eat. It sucked that we had to leave for Tampa in the morning, but that was the way the schedule was. It was the whole lot of us: Maria, Jeff, Matt, Chris, Steph, Amy, Adam, Jay, Diana and I.   
"Has anyone seen Amy?" Matt asked while we waited for Steph to finish whatever Vince was having her do.   
"About ten minutes ago when she went to put a couple of things in her car." Jeff told his brother.  
"I'll go check on her." I mumbled, suddenly feeling antsy as rideless Brad came to mind.  
"Alone?" Matt questioned.  
"Yeah. I'll be fine." I sauntered out to the parking lot, suddenly exhausted. "Amy?"  
"Donna?"  
"Amy?" I questioned again.  
"I can't find my makeup. I know everyone must be worried about me, and I know they sent you out here to check up on me." She told me, digging around in the trunk. She glanced up at me and smiled. She was fine. Just my anxiousness to leave the arena and the bad feeling behind. _Very far_ behind. We had a house show in Detroit in about a week and the fact that Charlie was working at The Joe didn't ease things in my mind one bit.  
"Makeup sucks." I joked.  
"Speak for yourself." She giggled. "Found it! Let's go!" She slammed the trunk shut and jogged up ahead of me. She was just about to reach for the doorknob when a big hand clasped over her wrist. "Hey!" She cried, struggling against the grip.  
"I gave you a fair shot at a nice date, Amy, but you humiliated me in front of my friends more than once." He grabbed her hair tightly.   
"Let go of me!" She cried, trying to get her foot up to kick him. He caught it with his free hand and threw it back to the ground.   
"Leave her alone, Brad!" I cried, running up to them.   
"Shut up, slut, or you'll be next!"  
My face burned. He could mess with me and hurt me all he wanted. What could possibly be worse than what he'd already done? Death? Not likely. Just leave my friend alone.   
I shoved him hard to the pavement, causing him to let go of Amy, who fell to the ground herself. They both scrambled to their feet, except now Brad went after me. He threw me against a nearby truck and pinned me there by my throat.  
"Oh, I don't think so!" Amy cried, jumping into the back of the truck and executing a hurricanrana on him. She landed the wrong way, clutching her back and cried out when she moved to get up. I knelt beside her as tears fell down her cheeks. I could tell they were from both pain and anger.   
"Don't move, Amy. We'll get paramedics out here."   
Security cars that had been circling the parking lot, pulled up to us as everyone walked out the door. Matt and Jeff knelt beside me and helped Amy sit up.   
"What happened out here?" One of the officers asked as I watched the brothers examine Amy's scraped back.   
"That guy was hiding and he planned to attack Amy on her way back inside!" I wailed. Jason handed Diana off to Steph and put his arms around me.   
"Are you sure?"  
"What kind of question is _that?_ " Jason cried.  
"Routine."   
"Yes, I'm sure. He stalks and abuses women."  
"How do you know, miss?"  
I stared at the ground as Jay tightened his embrace.   
"It's okay to tell them."  
"I'm his ex-girlfriend. He abused me and pretty much stalked me whenever I left my apartment. On our last day together, he..." I took a deep breath and looked at the sky for help.  
"I'm right here. Face that day. Tell them, Donna." Jay told me in a gentle voice. "Please."  
"He sexually assaulted me." I said, my voice a mumble.   
"Oh my God!" Maria screeched. Jay kissed the top of my head.   
"I'm proud of you."  
"You liar!" Brad yelled. Chris and Adam had to hold Matt back to keep him from beating the hell out of him.   
"Shut the hell up before I do more damage to you than Amy did!" He screamed.   
"No Matt. Let it go. It's over."  
After I gave my statement, I sat in the car with Maria up front and Jay's arms around me.  
"How come you didn't tell me when I saw you at the hospital, Don? You're like a sister to me; we tell each other everything!"  
"I didn't tell anyone. You're not the only one who didn't get told! I wanted to forget it!"  
"Jesus, Donna. Things like that are important to talk about! I care about you!"  
"I know you do, but I was humiliated!"   
"Still! It helps to talk about things like that!"  
"Never mind. You know now."  
"I'm still hurt."  
"Tell you what. _You_ try going through a day of being brutally beaten and then go through a vicious assault and see how open you are about the whole experience!" I screamed.  
"Donna…." Jay said, trying to soothe me. Nothing doing, I was depressed and severely upset.  
"I didn't mean it like that, Donna!" She sobbed. "I just wish you didn't go through it alone! I wish you had felt that you could have trusted me! I'm your best friend and I love you like a sister, and this hurts me!"  
I sighed loudly.  
"It's not about trusting you, Marie! You don't seem to understand that I wanted to forget that it happened! To tell somebody -- especially you -- would have assured that I never would! It'd be brought up repeatedly! He got what he wanted two years ago and he got busted before he could get what he wanted from Amy tonight! It's _over!_ " I yelled. "Don't _ever_ bring it up to me again!" I wiggled out of Jason's arms and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me as hard as I possibly could. I walked over to Chris' rental car and climbed onto the hood and laid back on the windshield to look up at the sky. Tears fell down my cheeks and I wiped them away, but more followed quickly.  
"I _do_ have to drive this car tonight, you know. No sleeping allowed." Chris joked halfheartedly as he walked up to the vacant side of the car. I knew he'd try to cheer me up, and I wanted to be upset right now. I sat up.  
"I'll move."  
"Nah, don't worry about it." He replied, climbing up onto the hood and resting beside me as I laid back down. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Are you sure? Wanna talk?"  
"I'm fine, Chris. Really."  
"Really?"  
"Yes."  
"Absolutely, positively, one hundred percent, wholeheartedly, entirely sure?"  
"The walking thesaurus strikes again." I said, laughter somehow finding its way into my voice. "I'm sure. Dammit, Chris, it's impossible to stay upset around you! Do you know that?"  
He shot me a broad, goofy grin.  
"It's part of my charm." He informed me. "And considering what we all heard when you told that cop who that guy was and what he'd done to you, I thought I'd try to make you smile. You look like you need it."  
I nodded slowly.  
"Thank you."  
"The stars are pretty tonight." He said.  
"Yeah they are." I agreed. We talked for a little while until Adam sauntered up to the car.   
"Are you okay, Donna?"  
"How's Amy?"  
"I asked you first."  
"I'm fine."  
"So is she. Her back's pretty scraped up, but she's happy to have finally kicked his ass as best as she could. She sent me over to check up on you."  
"That was nice of her."  
"That's Amy -- always thinking about others first." Chris informed me.  
"The cops said we can go home." Jeff told us, walking up to Chris' side of the car.  
"Home?" Chris laughed. "Is he joking? Maybe Maria wants to take you home with her, but --"  
"Shut up, jackass." Jeff grumbled.  
"Dude, you know damn well that the cat's out of the bag. Why don't you two just admit it already?" Adam said.  
"Home!" Chris laughed again. "Amy can go home! She lives here!"  
"Shut up already, Irvine!" Jeff exclaimed. "Cheap date."  
"Only for Jessie." He giggled. Adam tapped his forehead against the roof of the car.  
"Shut UP!" Jeff cried. " 'Do you not know _how_ to shut up, Jabroni?' " He continued, impersonating Dwayne's character.   
"Yes I do!" Chris replied. "I just choose not to, especially when Mister Airborne has found himself a lady friend and won't admit it to anyone!" He cried jokingly, high-tailing it off of the hood and turning back to look at Jeff.   
"Come here and let me beat your ass, Irvine!" Jeff yelled, chasing Chris around the parking lot. I could hear Amy laughing close to the building while Adam and I laughed at our end of the lot. When would it get back to the normal swing of things? Only time would tell, and I wasn't looking forward to our house show in Detroit in the least. I couldn't shake this feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse.


	31. Chapter 31

Later that night, Diana looked up at me, then down at Grover as she climbed into bed.   
"What story do you want to read?"  
"Cat's Hat." She said proudly, referring to the Dr. Suess book, The Cat in the Hat. I smiled, pulling it out of her bag, and sat down beside her. She cuddled right up beside me, putting her arm around both me and Grover. She read parts with me and read a little out loud by herself. As tired as I was because of the evening's events, I still set aside the time for her. It was important that, although we were on the road with her, we established some sort of routine. When we were finished with the book, she patted me on the knee. "Mommy?" She questioned.  
I looked down into her bright blue eyes. I must have looked at her in an odd manner, because she recoiled and hid her face. "Diana?"  
"No! No hit!" She cried.  
"Baby, I don't want to hit you."  
"I'm sorry! No! NO!" She wailed, scrambling into a corner and hiding from me. It made me feel horrible although I didn't do anything.   
"Donna? What's going on?" Jay cried.  
"Diana...she called me 'mommy' and now she's flipping out." I said, my voice trembling. This was all I needed. As if Brad didn't make me feel bad enough.   
"No hit!"  
"Princess, come here." He told her as she curled up on her knees and elbows.  
"No! Don't hurt me!" She wailed.  
"I don't want to do that, Diana." He replied, inspecting her back closely.  
"Jay? What are you looking at?"  
"Scars." He mumbled. "Ones you'd never see if you were only glancing at her or not looking closely."  
"Don't hurt the baby! Stop hurting the baby!" She screeched.  
"Come here." He told the wailing four-year-old gently, pulling her into his arms. "I told you that we haven't seen the end of what happened to her. I'm asking Rick tomorrow what the hell went on."  
"I feel bad, Jason. She can call me mommy if she wants. I only looked at her when she did and she totally flipped out." I told him, tears falling down my cheeks for what felt like the millionth time that night.  
"Don't feel bad, Donna. She's been to the hospital numerous times, she couldn't speak, and had to have permission to eat and drink, and now this. It's a damn shame." He mumbled, rocking her slowly.  
"Is everything okay in here?" Adam asked over Diana's crying.  
"I wish it was."  
"I heard her wailing. What happened?"  
As we explained, Adam sighed.  
"She's out of your life and she's ,em>still ruining it!"  
"Diana?" I said, kneeling on the floor beside her and Jason.  
"Don't hurt the baby!" Came the bloodcurdling scream. "Stop hurting the baby!"  
"What are you remembering, Diana?" Jay asked, trying to restrain his emotions. She began struggling to get out of his arms, kicking, pushing and trying to hit him.  
"No! NO!" She screamed.  
She got away from him and laid there on the floor for a minute, looking up at us, then dodged into a corner and curled back up, sobbing into her hands. Jason looked from her to me, his own blue eyes now shimmering with tears.   
"You're the child expert of the three of us. What do we do?" He asked.  
"Let me deal with it." I told him softly. He and Adam sat down on the bed as I moved to sit beside Diana and stroked her hair gently with one hand as I looked over her back. I pulled her underwear down probably about an inch to reveal a burn and some more almost-unnoticeable scars. It chilled me to the bone to wonder how we could have overlooked these things. Then again, we never had enough time to take a long, hard look at the little girl, and even when we gave her a bath, it was usually a quick one so she could get a decent night's sleep.  
"What is --?" Jay cried, looking at what I had just found. I looked up at him and that was it. He walked out of the room with tears falling down his cheeks. Adam followed his best friend quickly.   
"Diana?" I said, my voice trembling. "Oh baby, please don't be afraid anymore. Daddy and I will never hurt you like your real mommy did. Mommy hurt you bad, but daddy and I love you so very much." I reached over and pulled her nightshirt down, then rubbed her back gently as I wiped my own tears away.   
"How could those things have gone unnoticed? What the hell kind of parent am I?"  
"Jay, you've got a lot on your mind. You don't have the time to inspect every inch of that child's body! Look at what happened tonight with Donna, Amy and Brad! Donna's been dealing with her own issues and she still has more that she's got to face when we get to Detroit! She doesn't have time to look the kid over either! Stop blaming yourself! Kate isn't hurting the kid anymore! You did the best thing in the world for that child, man! You saved her life!" Adam told him. "Not all kids are that lucky! Diana _is!_ "  
"Diana?" I sniffled. "I'd love it if you'd call me mommy. I'd love to be your mommy." I told her, stroking her thin blond hair. "Can I hold you? Can I give you hugs and kisses and make you feel safe? Can I give you the love that your mommy never gave to you? I know you don't feel safe and that you're very scared. Can I please hold you and rock you to sleep?" I asked her, my hand trembling as tears continued to fall. "Please, Diana?"  
She cautiously lifted her head and looked up at me with her big, blue eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She crawled up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, sobbing.   
"Don't hurt the baby..." She whimpered.  
"The baby won't hurt anymore, I promise." I said, pulling her into my arms and rocking her gently.   
"I love you...mommy..." She told me after a few minutes.  
"I love you too, Diana."   
A little while passed until Jason showed up at the door. By this time, Diana was asleep in my arms as I sat braced by the corner, close to sleeping myself.   
"Is she okay?"  
"She should be fine now." I told him in a whisper as he sat on the floor beside me.  
"Thank you, Donna."   
"Don't worry about it. I love you both."  
He pulled me close to him and I felt my eyelids get heavy and I closed them, falling asleep in his arms as I cradled Diana in my own.

***********

Some weird things occurred the following day. Jay took Diana with him to go looking for Rick so he could get to the bottom of things concerning her. I was talking to Chris and Amy about what had gone on the previous evening in Fort Lauderdale until we found ourselves out by the ring, where Amy decided to show me a few pointers. It wasn't until we went to enter the locker room that I noticed something odd. Trish and Lisa "Ivory" Moretti were talking and stopped the moment Amy and I walked in. They looked down at the floor and adjusted their boots.   
"Hello Trish...Lisa..."  
"Hi Donna." They chorused. "Hi Amy."  
"What's going on? You're both awfully quiet all of a sudden."  
"Oh nothing, nothing. How are you feeling? We heard about last night."  
"I'm fine."  
"Same here."   
"Alright, well, we're going. See you ladies later."  
I shot Amy a confused look.   
"Odd." She told me.  
"I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back shortly." I told her. I walked out of the locker room, hooking my thumbs onto the beltloops of my jeans. I thought about Diana and it hurt my heart to do that.   
How far had things gone? How many hospital visits were made? What if Jason didn't have custody of her right now? Was Kate the only one who hurt her?  
As I turned the corner, I could hear a conversation between Paul and Joanie.  
"He cares about her. Last night damn near killed him."  
"Still. They've been together almost a year. Work things out. Do things the right way first and then see what happens. I don't want to see Donna get her heart broken."  
"He wouldn't do it if he wasn't sure. He wants to do what's right."  
"I don't know. They've worked _so_ damn hard on what they have."   
I stared at the floor. Could Jason be planning to break up with me? Why? I cared about him deeply, and I love Diana, too. What had I done wrong this time?  
I walked away from my spot near Joanie and Trip, suddenly feeling downright miserable. I found Jason talking to Rick as Diana laid on the couch, clutching her Grover doll. Jason looked up at me sadly.  
"Hi angel." He said softly.   
"Hi. Hey Rick."   
"Hello Donna."  
"What she kept repeating last night were Rick's words. Rick has always called Diana 'the baby'."  
"She was horrified of us last night, Rick."  
"She has been through hell."  
"I could see it all over her back. I had to look really close, though."  
"What you can see now is nothing compared to what she had on her while it was going on." He told me. "She'd go after her when I'd leave. I couldn't take it, and I couldn't take the kid with me, seeing as she knew Jason was her father and I was nothing to her. The last thing I needed while trying to break into the business was a kidnapping charge. Diana ended up in the hospital more times than I have fingers because of that wench. She would leave Diana in her parents’ care while we had to tour in the indies, which would have been a blessing, but Diana always acted up upon our return." He went into detail, and when he finally finished, he looked up at me.   
"It's a miracle that she's alive." I told him.   
"She almost died a couple of times, and I blame myself for it because I left right after the really, _really_ bad fights."  
"That doesn't make you the bad guy here." Jay told him.  
"It makes me bad enough. I should have reported it. I was actually scared of her. She was liable to kill us both if I did."  
I sighed, sitting by Diana's feet. She turned around and rested her head on my lap as she hugged Grover and sucked her thumb. I pulled her into my arms as I sat down and hugged him tightly.  
"I love you so much, Diana."  
"I love you too, mommy." She said, without hesitation this time. 

***********

Whatever rumor was floating about more or less ceased by the time we reached Detroit for the house show. However, the latest thing that made me uneasy was seeing Charlie talking to Diana as Jessica sat at ringside. She didn't know who he was, but I did. Jay did too, and it was infuriating him.   
Diana clutched Grover closely and watched the match after he walked back up to his position at the top of the stairs. It had seriously thrown Jay off of his game, and Adam got the pin.   
When we got backstage, Adam looked at his best friend.  
"A little preoccupied?"  
"Yeah. Diana was talking to Charlie." I told him.  
"The same Charlie...?"  
"The one and only."  
"The nerve of that guy!"  
"Dammit, Jason, can you _not_ be angry for more than five minutes at a time?" Adam asked.  
"Not lately!"  
We didn't stay after for very long. As Jay said goodnight, our Federation bodyguard-for-the-ladies walked me out to mine and Jason's rental. I looked up at Matt as I unlocked the car.   
"Thank you, Matt."  
"No problem, Donna. I don't want to risk anything further happening to you guys." My mother would have a houseful of wrestlers tonight, but she didn't mind, seeing as she rarely saw me anymore. Tonight Jay, Matt, Jeff, Amy and Adam were staying for the evening. "Are you holding up alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to get the hell out of here." I told him, tossing Diana's Grover doll into the backseat and shut the door. "We can all watch a movie or something when we get back to my house."  
"I saw him out there, Donna. I know that he makes you very antsy and Jason was way out in left field someplace. He wasn’t on his game at all."  
"He acts like nothing ever happened. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. That's why he was talking to Diana during the whole match. It's horrible. I can picture his house now that my promos and pictures are all over the place." I said, shivering.   
"Creepy."  
"No kidding." I told him as he shut the trunk. We walked up to the doorway and back in for a few minutes, then we walked back outside and everyone got into their cars and drove back to my place. A short time later, Diana began to cry.  
"Grover! My Grover!" She wailed. I ran out to Jay's rental and searched it. Funny, I thought, but didn't I toss it into the car while I was talking to Matt?  
I could have sworn that I did.  
I walked back inside empty-handed as Diana kept sobbing. Jay tried everything, right down to bribing her with a new one in the morning. We even searched the whole house, which didn't take long with nine of us looking.  
"Please..." Amy moaned. "I'll drive whoever wants to take her back for her doll."  
"I'll do it." Jason said.  
"No, you're out of your winter outfit. I was just outside. I'll go." I told him. “It's my fault for leaving it there in the first place."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure." I sighed, still silently swearing that I had tossed the doll into the car.  
"Okay then." He sighed, then gave me a kiss. "Be careful...all of you."  
"We will."  
Once in the car on the way back to The Joe, Amy turned on some alternative rock and cranked up the heat. It was a fifteen-to-twenty minute drive at best and we made it back there in no time.  
"Yes?" Asked the guard at the back gate.   
"We're with the WWF. My daughter left her stuffed toy in one of the green rooms about an hour or so ago." I told him.  
"Aah...Angel and Lita! I recognize you! Go ahead. Make it quick, though. All that's left are the few employees that are closing up."  
"Thank you, sir." Amy said. She pulled into a parking space and looked at me. "Would you like me to go inside with you?"  
"Nah. We're only going in to retrieve her doll and come back out." I replied, unbuckling the car seat. "Thanks anyway. See you in a few."  
"Alright. Be careful."


	32. Legends Never Die

"Where do you think you left it, sweetheart?" I asked her, _still_ silently swearing that I had put Grover in the car with the rest of our stuff.  
"I don't know." She whimpered. Seeing Charlie in his usher uniform talking to Diana and Jessica really upset me and put my stomach in knots. It was like he was trying to get some kind of information from Diana. As we walked around and looked in each green room, the bad feeling I had as we drove back here only got worse.  
"Diana, he's not--" I began as I flicked on the light in the last room. There was the doll, tossed carelessly on the couch. "I'll be damned."  
"Yay!" Diana cheered, running in and grabbing him off of the couch. "We can go home now and read with daddy!" We had been longer than I'd expected and I just wanted to scoop her up and run out of there. The feeling of dread was unbearable now. Amy must have been getting worried about us. I walked in and scooped her into my arms.  
As I did so, the door slammed shut. I would have disregarded it if the unmistakable sound of the lock hadn't echoed throughout the room immediately afterward. I turned around to see Charlie standing in the area which had been once well-concealed behind the door.  
"Hello Donna."  
"That's the man who was talkin' to me tonight." Diana said slowly.  
"Hi Charlie." I replied, forcing my voice to stay calm.  
"You looked good out there tonight."  
"Thank you." I told him. "Listen, could you please unlock the door? We really have to go."  
His damaged face from what Jason had done to him months before twisted into a grin that the devil would have taken great pride in. I had only seen that look on anyone one day in my whole life...on my last day with Bradley. He held up the key as he turned on the CD player.  
"I have the key this time, Donna. This has been a long time coming."  
"Come on, Charlie. Not in front of Diana." I told him as a strangely familiar song came over the speakers. It was a really old CD that I had a long time ago by an old punk rock group called the Plasmatics. The last time I had seen it was at work over a year ago, and it was one of my favorites because the abrasive lyrics gave me an odd type of strength when I listened to them. In every song, the female lead singer's tuneless, rough voice pretty much said 'If you don't like me, shove it, because I frankly could care less.' It brought me a lot of salvation after being around Brad. Not anymore. Charlie was about to ruin it for me.  
"Who cares? She's not yours anyway." He told me, putting the key in his pocket and moving toward me. "Put the kid down."  
"I care, Charlie. Please don't hurt Diana."  
"I don't want to hurt the kid. Now put her down before I put her down for you."  
"You just want to hurt me. Who was I trying to kid here?" I told him as he backed us into a corner of the room.  
"Put the kid down."  
"Mommy?" She said, worried. I put her down and he made one quick movement to pin me to the wall with his knee. He reached up and I saw the damage I had done when I bit his hand. He traced my jawline with his finger.  
"I don't want to hurt you. I didn't want to hurt you that night in the parking lot either, but you with your smart mouth made me very angry. You had to be taught a lesson."  
_Stay calm,_ my mind said. _Maybe he won't get angry if you stay calm. Don't show fear, either. Just keep your mouth shut and keep a straight look on your face, and maybe he won't do what he's planning on doing._ It was amazing what you tell yourself to rationalize and survive such a situation. My brain was racing a mile a minute.  
"Why me?" I asked, wanting him to keep talking.  
"Why you? You are so pretty, Donna. I loved you the moment I saw you." I clenched my teeth. I was getting sick just listening to him. "I knew that I had to have you."  
"What are you planning to do?" That grin resurfaced on his lips, and I was regretting it. The activity was horrible on its own, and the possibility of Diana witnessing such a horrific act of violence made it a million times worse.  
"We're going to finish what we started last year, Donna."  
"I don't want to, Charlie."  
"Oh, sure you do, Donna! You _know_ you do." He drawled.  
"Mommy?" Diana said, her voice muffled by her doll.  
"I'm okay, baby. Mommy's alright." I told her slowly. " _Please_ don't do this, Charlie."  
" 'I don't'...'please don't'...not in front of the kid...shut up with the false begging and pleading! I know you want it!"  
It was a double-edged sword. I was calm and I made him mad anyway. The song that Charlie chose started over and blasted in my ears despite it not being very loud. It gave him confidence. With that confidence came adrenaline, which translated into intense power and strength.  
He grabbed my shoulders and threw me onto the couch, then landed on top of me, his six-foot-four-inch frame knocking the wind out of my body.  
"Mommy!" Screeched Diana. "Don't hurt my mommy!"  
"Shut her up, Donna. I'm warning you right now...shut her up!" He growled.  
"Diana, I'm okay, sweetheart. Take Grover and sit in the corner until it's over." I told her quickly, my lower lip trembling. She did as I told her, sobbing into Grover's neck. "Turn toward the corner, baby. Don't look over this way no matter what!" I demanded. I didn't want Charlie to harm one hair on the girl's head. Again, she did as I demanded, then I kicked at Charlie and began to struggle with him.  
Until he pulled out a gun.  
I had an intense phobia of guns because of my father, and this made it worse. I stopped fighting him immediately. He sneered again.  
"I didn't think so." He said, holding it to my temple. Tears fell down my cheeks.  
"Just get it over with..." I sobbed as his free hand ran the course of my body and found its destination. "Please...you don't want to do this to me, Charlie..." I whimpered, trying to get away again. Memories of my last moments with Brad raced through my mind like an old movie reel. "Please!" I sobbed.  
"Aww....." He said after a while, then got so close I could smell his breath as my nose touched his. "Sure I do." He said and kissed me hard on the lips. Hot tears fell down my face as his hands moved up and found a momentary place on my chest. I could feel the icy metal of the gun through my shirt as he grabbed the fabric. "We're gonna rock tonight! Are you ready?" He cried, growling the lyrics of the looped song as he tore my shirt. He then grabbed the gun and put his hands on my jeans.  
"NO!" I screeched. "Help me! NO!"  
"Hello?" I recognized Paul's gruff voice immediately. He rattled the doorknob.  
"Tell him you're fine." Charlie growled, pressing the gun to my head and resting his forehead on mine as he worked on undoing the button of my jeans with his free hand.  
"I'm fine, Hunter!" I cried, my voice in a wail.  
"Donna? What the hell are you still doing here? I thought you left!"  
_Fine time for a conversation, Levesque,_ I thought.  
"I'm fine, HUNTER!" I cried, putting emphasis behind his stage name. If I yelled that there was a gun in the room, Charlie had the gun right where he wanted it. Paul had to know that there was a gun in the room in case he tried to break in. Hunters always carried guns. I hoped he would catch on. I needed help, but mine and Diana's lives were in serious jeopardy here. I had just enough mental wherewithal remaining to think of that. The rest of it fled my body when Charlie pulled out the gun.  
"Okay, Donna." He replied, as if playing along. He rattled the doorknob again. "Can you get out? the door is locked."  
"Tell him yes!" Charlie demanded as he tugged on my zipper.  
"Yes, I have the key, HUNTER!" I tried again. There was a loud banging on the door and Diana screeched at the top of her lungs and huddled as tight as she could into the corner she was in. Charlie stood up and I rolled onto the floor and grabbed Diana from behind, pulling her flat onto the floor beneath me protectively as the door opened full force and shots echoed throughout the room. I felt a sharp pain streak across my shoulder. That pain, the gunshots and Diana's ear-piercing scream were the last things I remember before blacking out.

***********

"Diana? Hunter!" I screeched when I came to.  
"Easy ma'am. You have a gunshot wound in the back near your shoulder blade. Don’t move a lot. You saved the child's life, you know." The paramedic told me.  
_Huh?_ I thought. Then everything came flooding back.  
"I did?"  
"You shielded her. You saved her life by taking the bullet for her."  
"I did?" I repeated.  
"Yes. You'll be fine. You only have a flesh wound. It will heal. The way the child was in your arms on the floor, she would have been hit in the head. Your assailant aimed right at you."  
"Hunter....is he okay?"  
"Everything's alright now. The man is dead."  
"Hunter?" I screeched. "No!" I cried, sitting up to be met with a blinding pain. I laid right back down.  
"The man who attacked you? Is that his name?"  
"No! No, the man who attacked me is Charlie." I said.  
"Charlie's dead." The officer told me as he walked up to us.  
"Where's my daughter? Diana? Hunter? Where is he? Oh god...." I winced from the pain.  
"Donna?" Questioned Paul, approaching me gingerly. "It's over. It's all over." He said, helping me sit up slightly so my head rested in his lap. I couldn't sit up. I'd have to go to the hospital and have surgery. He placed a blanket over me to cover what was once beneath my t-shirt. "He's dead. It's over. Amy's out in the hallway with Diana. You saved her life, Donna."  
"He...oh god...he...I tried...I said...I..." I sobbed. "Oh god!" I sobbed hysterically, glancing down to see Charlie lying lifeless on the floor inside a chalk outline. "No god no! Please no!"  
"Amy called Jason, Donna. He's on his way --"  
"No!" I screamed. "No! He can't see me like this! No!"  
"Donna, please calm down. You are injured and you're going to make it worse, now calm down." Paul pleaded with me. I held onto him, too terrified to let go. His strong hand caressed my hair and shoulder gently, and I was sure that he'd pound anyone's head in who would try to hurt me right now. For that, I was thankful. "You never have to worry about him again."  
About twenty minutes passed when I heard Jason in the hallway.  
"Diana! Oh princess, thank God you're okay! Where's Donna?"  
"Sir, you--"  
"She's my girlfriend, dammit! Please let me in!"  
I buried my face in Paul's shirt.  
"Donna! Oh my god! You're hurt! Oh, angel....are you okay?"  
"Don't look at me! I don't want you to see me!" I wailed.  
"Donna--"  
"No!"  
"What did he do to her?! What did he _do?!_ "  
"Man, you're not helping by screaming. I don't know what he did! I was on the other side of the goddamn door!" Paul yelled back.  
"Donna, please! God _damn_ it! Tell me what he did to you!"  
He touched my cheek and I recoiled.  
"Don't hurt me! Please!"  
"I would never -- DAMMIT!" He screamed, walking out of the room.  
"Trip?" Questioned a slight southern accent from the doorway. "How is she? What happened?"  
"Other than the gunshot wound being a flesh wound, we don't know. She's not talking. Right now, I'm the only one she's allowing to be near her. She just flinched from Jay, so that's why he's carrying on in the hallway. Could someone please go calm him down?"  
"Donna?" I could hear the soft rustle of Matt's black leather jacket as he stepped around the scene and up to me, then knelt in front of me slowly. "Can you tell us what Charlie did to you?"  
"He tore my shirt..." I mumbled.  
"Would it make you feel better if I let you cover up with my jacket?"  
I nodded. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and helped Paul drape it over my shoulders.  
"What else happened?" Paul asked, the tone in his voice compassionate.  
"He touched me. He got on top of me and pointed the gun at my head..." I whimpered, my voice dissolving into the tears that fell.  
"Donna, I need you to tell me, and I'm sorry that I'm going to put this so bluntly....did he rape you?"  
"No. Hunter came to the door and he didn't leave....he didn't leave me here..." I choked.  
"Okay." A look of relief crossed Matt's features as he released the breath he had been holding.  
"He...his fingers....his hands...."  
"Did he hit you?"  
"Nooo......" I whimpered.  
"He touched you...you told us that he did that..." Matt said, then jumped at the sound of Jason hitting the wall with something quite heavy. "Dammit, Amy, could you and Jeff please go calm Jason’s ass down? He has Diana out there with him!"  
I tried to restrain my sobs until I managed to get through my statement, then tears fell in a seemingly endless waterfall. My skin crawled because I could still feel his hands dominating my body and thinking about it was making me physically ill. I desperately needed a shower to wash his touch off of my body. I shivered, pulling Matt's jacket tight around my shoulders as Paul continued to keep me calm by stroking my hair.  
"Do I need to have surgery?"  
"Yeah. They have to get rid of the bullet."  
"You need to calm down! You're not helping her by acting like this! She has to go to the hospital and have surgery, man! Think!" I heard Jeff cry.  
"What did he do to her? Why didn't I bring Diana back?"  
"Jay, man, the nutcase had a gun! He could killed you as revenge for cutting the last attempt on her short! As it was, Donna saved Diana's life! She took a bullet for that kid! Trip and that injured policeman over there are both witnesses to that!" Jeff told him. "Now calm the hell down!" Matt squeezed my knee gently, then walked out to presumably tell his brother and Jason the rest of the story. A short time later, Jason showed up in the doorway, staring at the floor.  
"Are you calm, man?" Paul asked. “’Cause she needs cool heads around her. She went through some serious shit tonight. She’s really jumpy.”  
"Yeah, I’m calm." He replied.  
"Good."  
Jay walked up to the couch and knelt in front of us.  
"Matt told me what happened to you, and Jeff said that you saved Diana's life. Thank god for you. You are her guardian angel, and I thank you so much for it. I can't thank you enough." He sobbed.  
"Paul saved _me._ He stayed at the door."  
"He did?" Jay looked up at his friend. "Thank you."  
"I knew that something wasn't right when I heard her begging and pleading with him and using my full stage name. That's why I stayed there."  
"After I said I was fine, you could have chosen to leave." I whimpered.  
"I heard him telling you to tell me things, Donna. I wasn't about to leave you in there with that screwball. I didn't even know that Diana was in there until we started to break into the room." He continued.  
"How is the cop who shot Charlie?"  
"He got hit in the arm. He'll be fine." Jay and Trip helped me to my feet and I made them stop me before the doorway so I could switch the song. I knew it well, and I cranked it up full blast. ... Legends Never Die by The Plasmatics.

"Legends never die..." I forced myself to sing through teeth clenched from the blinding pain from my shoulder as they put Charlie's cold, covered body on a gurney and wheeled it out of the room. "Well, not this time, you son-of-a-bitch." I snarled, taking the CD out of the player, putting it in its case and sticking it into the pocket of Matt's jacket.  
With that, Trip and Jay helped me to the ambulance.

(Due to the site's TOS, I again cannot post the lyrics to the song. Please feel free to Google them)


	33. Chapter 33

I'd never seen Jason more protective of us than he was after that night. It struck some part of me as odd, but he had good grounds for being that way, and I wasn’t about to deter that. I made a full recovery from the bullet wound, and ironically, Jay and I made our little comeback at the live RAW is WAR in Detroit. Jason had taken the month off to be with me and Diana as I healed from my injury. Everybody that I knew was there, and I knew my family and friends down south were watching as well.  
Jay was finally going to get pushed up the ladder a rung or two, taking a step toward the coveted Heavyweight Title. I saw several signs in the audience that night that stemmed from my heroics five weeks before regarding Diana. I saw some referring to Trip's heroics as well, which was kind of nice, considering how much of a heel his actual HHH character was.  
It made me feel so good that the fans backed me and Hunter on what had happened that night, and Maria wrote an excellent article on the whole situation that got picked up by the WWF's publications.  
I sighed. There was a small minus in all of this. The weird things were starting up again. The conversations that I was overhearing, the ones that would cease the moment I stepped into the room, the giggles, the looks...all of it. It was really starting to work on my last nerve, especially after what had happened. I was tired of not knowing. I'd approached Jason about it several times and he'd respond with a concerned look and then proceed to tell me that everything was fine. Judging from everything that I'd overheard, he was hiding the breakup from me until there was a right time. It was beginning to hurt me that he couldn't just muster up the strength to do it and get it over with.  
I sat in the locker room toying with my hat sadly. Jay had a match with Paul and they were teaming up against Adam and Sean and it was closing in on that time. Trish looked up at me from tying her boots, then moved to sit down beside me.  
"Donna, I know that you're feeling hurt right now, but you have to go out there and give it your best like you always do. I know for a fact that everything will be alright. You and Jay are perfect together."  
"How do you know that everything will be alright?"  
"I just do. Trust me on this."  
"I wish that I knew that for sure."  
"Donna? Come on." Steph said, popping her head in the doorway. "Are you okay?"  
"I could be better."  
"What is it? Is it what happened?"  
"I can't get into it. I have to escort Jason to the ring."  
"I'll see you out there."  
Jay walked up to me behind the curtain.  
"You look great, Angel."  
"Thanks. After the match, we have to talk."  
"Okay...sure." He replied, slightly confused. As we had many times before, we walked down the ramp to Christian's music. The crowd stood up in unity and applauded. "That is for you, Angel, and you deserve it all." I was ready to cry. I didn't expect it, but they all knew and they all appreciated me for what I had done to save Diana's life. I spotted my family and former coworkers in the front row, and hugged them all quickly, then gave Diana a quick kiss.  
"I love you, baby." I told her.  
"I love you too, mommy!" She told me, clutching her Grover doll close to her chest. I stepped up the steel steps and into the ring, then looked at Jason and smiled broadly. He smiled back at me with pride.  
As Hunter's music began to echo throughout The Joe, the crowd actually cheered again, remaining on its feet and gave him an ovation as well. As he stepped out onto the stage and made his way down the ramp, Jason slid out of the ring and ran up to the announce table, talking to J.R. for a quick moment, then slid back into the ring. Paul hugged me tightly after he stepped into the ring, then looked at Jason and shook his hand. Gangrel's music followed this display as he and Adam made their way down the ramp. As they did so, Adam and Jason pointed at each other and exchanged heated words. I could hear Jason's voice over the chorus of boos that emanated from the crowd.  
"You want a piece of me? Come on, man!"  
It was so weird to hear him yelling at his best friend and sounding like he meant it.  
I looked from him to Steph and chuckled slightly. She laughed slightly and shook her head.  
"You've gotta love it. Come on."  
Sean's music started and he made his way out to the ring. Knowing what I did about our talk after the match, I didn't want it to end.  
"Mommy!" Cried a happy voice behind me. I glanced back at Diana, who waved. I smiled and blew her a kiss. She returned it. It was because of me that she was sitting there. If Jason had lost her, I don't think he would have been able to continue. I looked up as Trip tagged Jason in. I watched him and Adam tangle and Steph and I pounded on the edge of the apron, cheering Jason on. He got the upper hand and climbed onto the top rope and drop-kicked Adam. He got the pinfall and my heart began to race painfully in my chest. I climbed into the ring with Steph and Paul with Adam at our feet and Sean laid out outside the ring. After Lillian announced the winners, Jason walked over to the ropes and motioned for a microphone. She handed him something else as well, which I couldn't quite make out.  
Adam made his way to his feet and Sean and David climbed into the ring with us. I was a little confused. This wasn't supposed to be a part of the show. It wasn’t in the script I saw.  
Jay turned, microphone in hand, and looked at me.  
"Angel, I have permission to step out of character and break kayfabe for a few minutes. We have been dating for over a year now." He said. He was going to break up with me right here? On national TV? Tears stung my eyes. If I wasn't hurt before, I was definitely feeling hurt now. "I know that you said that you wanted to talk after the match, but I wanted to talk to you a little first. We have been through absolute hell together, especially in light of this last ordeal. Donna,” He continued, using my real name, “you saved my daughter's life five weeks ago. I am forever in your debt. In addition, you have helped me through some extremely rough times and I love you for it all. It has become the kind of love that I strongly believe you only find one time in your life: it’s unconditional. I am deeply in love with you. You have done many things for me that I never even deserved and I'm grateful. You have become a wonderful role model for my daughter and she flat out adores you." I looked at Steph, then Adam, then back to Jason. "Now, I know that the entire internet will be abuzz tonight with 'was that real or a part of the show?' Well, to all of the fans, I assure you that what I'm about to do is very real." He handed the microphone to Adam and pulled out what had been handed to him earlier. He got down on one knee and opened what I now saw clearly as a small, fuzzy, gray box and looked up at me with tears in his eyes. I covered my mouth with trembling hands as hot tears fell down my cheeks. He glanced back at King and J.R. "Are we still on?" The two announcers nodded. Jason's smile sent the tears that were in his eyes down his cheeks as he turned back and looked up at me. Adam continued to hold the mic up to his best friend's face. "Cool. Donna, my sweet angel, I love you _so_ much. Will you marry me?" It must have been scaring him to death because of what had happened with Kate. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that the crowd was chanting 'SAY YES' in unison. I was totally astounded by what he was doing. Not one logical thought was going through my mind. Adam held the microphone up to me.  
"Yes, Jason. Yes, I will!" He put the ring on my finger and hugged me tightly. "I love you so much!"  
"I love you too, Angel."  
The cheers from the crowd were deafening.  
"You topped me in the kayfabe-breaking department. Congratulations, guys." Adam said. We got hugs and handshakes from everyone in the ring, then Jason walked up to Diana, put her on his shoulders and walked up the ramp right beside me. All of the superstars took turns congratulating us, then we walked to a green room where we could be alone.  
"Are you okay, Donna?"  
"You shocked the hell out of me out there!" I laughed through my tears. "I thought that you were going to break up with me!"  
"You thought _what?_ How'd you come to that conclusion?"  
"I've heard lots of things over the past two months."  
"They've all known about this for a long time. I've had this planned for three months. Everyone knew but you. I've talked to your stepdad, your mother, brother and to Maria. I wanted to make sure that everyone accepted my wanting to marry you before I even asked you. We have been through hell together. They all thought that I'd chicken out and not follow through with it, but after what happened five weeks ago, I realized that if I ever let you walk out of my life, I'd lose my soulmate. It would have been the single worst move I ever made in my life." He said, taking my hands in his and pulling me to sit down beside him.  
"Were you afraid out there?"  
He moved a lock of hair out of my eyes and looked at me.  
"Terrified." He confessed.  
"I could tell. I could see it in your eyes." He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. "Thank you for standing by me through everything with Brad and Charlie. I still haven't completely moved past what happened five weeks ago, but I'm working on it. It isn't so much the threat of the attack as it was the fact that a gun was involved." I told him. He held me close, but I didn't say any more. Charlie was dead, and we were still here and now we were going to be planning a wedding. I had something wonderfully positive to focus on that about eighteen months ago was only something I fantasized about on paper, and to waste my time focusing on Charlie made no sense at all. I watched Diana as she watched TV and held Grover close to her chest.  
"Are you okay now? Any better, knowing that it was the complete opposite of what you thought?" Jason asked me.  
"Better than I ever dreamed that I could be." I told him with a broad smile. He was very happy now, and I could see that, and that thrilled me.


	34. Chapter 34

On our next trip down to South Florida, Maria insisted that we go to Sawgrass Mills Mall.  
"Come on, Marie..." Jason laughed.  
"We're _all_ going. I rarely get to hang out with Donna as it is now, so don't start whining, Reso!"  
"It's an awesome mall!" Amy chimed in.  
"Mall?" Jeff questioned, making a face.  
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, don't you start!" Maria scolded, wrapping her arms around his waist. Matt arched an eyebrow at his younger brother.  
"Are you still going to deny that you two are an item?"  
"No." Jeff said shyly.  
"Good."  
Maria gave Jeff a soft kiss on the lips and Chris groaned.   
"Oh come on with this huggy, kissy junk!"  
"You and Jessie aren't much better!" I told him.  
"Are we going or what?" Adam asked.  
"Yes! Let's go already!"  
So the nine of us got into Matt and Jay's rental cars and were on our way.

**********

Chris took one look at the outside of the mall and whistled.  
"Look at the size of this place!"  
"You'll feel it soon enough. It is huge and your feet will hurt." Jay told him.  
"Oh that sounds like _so_ much fun! Sore feet! Let's go! Hurry!"  
"And the day's just beginning. We have a whole day of this smartass to deal with." Jay said, looking around. "Hey! _Hey!_ Enough of that! Let's go!" He yelled to Maria and Jeff, who lagged behind as Amy and Matt joined us.  
"We don't say anything to you two!"  
"You do so!" I laughed. We all walked into the mall and Chris' eyes lit up.  
"Yeah, baby! Who cares if my feet hurt?"   
"A mall..." Jeff moaned again. Maria smiled up at him.  
"I've got a great store for you."  
"It's called Spencer's. You know, and it has whipped cream and dirty dice and all sorts of fun toys for us!" Jason mocked as he put Diana in a stroller. Maria glared at him.  
"You're asking for it."  
"Heh."  
"There's that totally excellent comeback again! It works on everything!" Matt laughed.  
"Easy there, 'Herman'." Jay replied.  
"Yeah. Incredible Ice is right down the expressway. That's our next stop. Chris is going to teach Diana how to skate, and he might as well teach you while he's at it." I said. "Not only that, but my dad and the guys are going to be playing hockey."   
"Over my dead body."  
"You'd probably skate better then." I joked lightly, putting gentle hands on his shoulders. I looked at my engagement ring. It was almost 5/8 of a karat, I would have guessed. Not that the size of it mattered. What _did_ matter was what the engagement ring stood for. He could have given me a ring out of a quarter machine and proposed with _that_ and I would have accepted.   
"You're hilarious, Donna. Keep it up. Jason and I are due for a rivalry soon." Matt grumbled. I giggled and let go of Matt's shoulders to take Jay's hand in mine, then looked up at him and smiled.   
“Bring it on.”  
We all sauntered into The Pro Image and Adam made a beeline for the NHL jerseys. He pulled a Brodeur jersey out of the rack and held it up.   
"You've gotta love the Devils."  
"No you don't." I said as Amy and I held up matching Panthers jerseys.  
"Your Devils got lucky, man." Jason pointed out, admiring a Maple Leafs jersey.   
"At least they're luckier than the 'Laffs'!"   
"Dude, there's nothing wrong with the Leafs."  
"How long has it been since they've won a Cup? Come on now!"  
"My team will win it this year." Chris piped up, holding up a Rangers' Messier jersey.   
"That's almost as good as saying that Matt and Jeff's or Maria's teams will win it!" Adam scoffed, nodding toward the boys as they held up identical Carolina Hurricanes jerseys and Maria looked over a Pittsburgh jersey.  
"Quite the diverse group we are." Jay mumbled as I held up a kid-sized Panthers jersey.  
"Can you see Diana in this? How cute!"  
"Oh noooo...if she wears _any_ hockey team's colors, it will be those of the Leafs." Jay challenged, holding up a smaller version of his jersey.  
Adam laughed.  
"Why don't you let Diana decide?"  
Jay lifted Diana out of her stroller and she ran up to the low rack of jerseys. She had her sights set on the one that made us all cringe.  
"This one, daddy!” She declared, holding out the orange, white and black jersey of my stepdad's favorite team, the Philadelphia Flyers.  
"My dad would be _so_ proud!" I laughed.  
"Oh come on, Diana! Look at the pretty blue and white jersey!"  
She giggled and shook her head. Nobody really cared. Jay would buy her anything under the sun. He was just thankful that she was alive.  
"Man, just get it for her." Matt said. "She's a kid _and_ she's female. You'll never win that battle. Ever."  
Amy smacked him hard on the shoulder.  
"You're a jerk!" She laughed. He chuckled, holding his arms up to shield himself.  
"It's true! I can't help that it's the truth!" He cried. She smacked him some more.  
"Shut up! You're such a brat!"  
"Thank you! That's a compliment, coming from you!"  
"Very funny!"  
So Jay reluctantly found Diana a kid-sized Flyers jersey. I didn't buy the Panthers jersey I had been holding for one simple reason. I already had the best one possible: the Bure one Jason signed for me over a year before.  
"You two should be dating." Chris said, putting on his new Messier jersey. Amy glared at him.  
"Want your ass kicked?"  
"You're feeling pretty damn festive today, aren't you, Amy?"  
"Not really." She replied, putting on her Mellanby jersey.  
"What is it about dressing up in hockey jerseys that makes you women want to kick my ass?" Chris asked.  
"Power trip." Amy said. “And believe me, it’s not just when I’m wearing a hockey jersey.”  
"Or it could be your being a smartass," I chimed in, "jerky."  
"Easy with the copyright infringement there." He laughed.  
"Hon, I've been using your catch phrases for two years now. It's the norm for those under thirty in the Andrews household. You’d better used to it."  
"I'm trying to."  
I looked at Chris. He really was like the big brother I never had, and I was grateful for that.  
We finally walked out of The Pro Image and stood there, deciding.  
"Now what?" Jeff asked.  
"Spencer's!" Jay laughed. Maria glared at him again.  
"Keep it up."  
"Really? Okay!"  
We wandered around until we reached a music store. We were all looking around when we heard a tiny voice beside Jason.  
"Excuse me, sir?"  
Jason and I looked down at the little boy, who was probably just gracing six years old.  
"Hi there." Jay replied, giving the child a smile.  
"Are you one of the guys I see on the TV? I watch WWF with my daddy all the time and you look like one of the guys. I was wonderin' if you were him or not. You look like Christian."  
Jason nodded, the smile growing slightly.  
"Yes, that's me."   
The little boy's eyes lit up.   
"You _are?_ Wow!" He ran over to a tall, dark-haired man and tugged on his jacket, pointing our way and talking animatedly. The man walked up to us, followed quickly by the little boy.   
"I didn't mean for him to bother you while you're shopping, but he recognized you from the show."  
"No problem." Jay replied.  
"I'm glad that the company has decided to give you a push. You can't tag-team forever, you know."   
"Tell me about it."  
"Daddy, is that Angel?" The little boy asked. I couldn't help but smile at this. How could I not?  
"I think so."  
"Yes." I said.  
"We loved the proposal. Congratulations. And the article on everything. I'm still amazed by your story."  
"Thank you." I replied. The boy and his father talked to us for a while, then got to meet the rest of our friends who were hanging out with us. After that, we finally left the store to get something to eat.  
"Okay, let me inform you all up front that you do not need my permission to eat, and flying fries will not be tolerated... _Maria._ " Jay said pointedly.  
"At least you don't look like your dog died this time around."   
"I finally have no reason to."  
“It sure took long enough.”  
Amy went in search of a table as the rest of us got in line for food.  
"What do you want, Diana?"  
"Happy meal?" She questioned.  
"They don't have a McDonald's here, darlin'. Is Burger King okay?"  
"Yes."  
We stood in line for about five minutes when I heard a familiar voice behind us.  
"Fancy seeing you here."  
I turned around, looking Mike in the eyes.  
"Hi Mike! Aren't you and the guys playing hockey today?"  
"Yeah. After we finish shopping, though. James is meeting us at the rink around five. It's only noon now. So, this is your future stepdaughter, huh?"  
"Yup! This is Diana. Diana, this is my friend Mike."  
"Hi Mike!" She said happily.  
"Hello there."  
We got up to the window and ordered, then Mike ordered.   
"So who's 'we'?" I asked.  
"Jack and Alex are with me. Here, Donna, let me carry that for you. You've got a stroller to push. You know, after that magnificent article that Maria wrote about you, I have the utmost respect for you."  
I shrugged.  
"I did what I had to do. She made it sound superhuman."  
"I'm sure that it was the truth. If that Charlie guy hadn't died that night, he would have wished that he had. And you saved Diana's life, and everything you went through with Brad, and damn, Donna...if anybody doesn't deserve anyone here, it's me that didn't deserve you. You're extraordinary."  
I smiled shyly and shrugged again.  
"I don't quite know about that but thank you." I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
"Jason is damn lucky to have you."  
"I don't know about that either. I think that I'm luckier to have him, considering everything that happened with Brad."  
"Woohoo! Somebody finally made it back from the lines of hell!" Amy exclaimed.  
"Amy, this is Mike. Mike, this is--"  
"Lita! A pleasure to meet you."  
"Same here." She told him, shaking his hand and holding his gaze for a moment or two. "Sorry to be so rude, but I have to eat." She said nervously, smiling shyly. She all but ran up to the Panda Express Chinese restaurant.  
Mike chuckled.  
"There's something in me that makes the girls run the other way.”  
"Nah. She's just hungry."  
"Hey, hey! It's our lifesaving superstar!" Said Jack. "What is _up,_ girlfriend?" I stood up and hugged him.  
"Not much. What's up with you, Jack?"  
"Whole lotta nothin'."  
"Hey, Don. Glad to see you." Alex said, giving me a quick hug. "Glad to see you're okay."  
"Glad to see you too, all of you."  
Everyone slowly made their way back to the table and Jason invited the trio to sit with us, so they did. As Amy and Mike got to chatting, the rest of us got around to talking about the day Jason and I met. Maria then decided to speak.  
"Donna, it's time that you and Jason know something."  
"What?"  
"I had been backstage before that day. Adam told me a little about Jason's rough time with girls and I told Adam that I had the perfect girl for him. She had come off a brutal relationship a year before and needed someone in her corner who would treat her right. She was a huge fan, but not one of the strange ones. Adam and I arranged it with Stephanie and Shane, and the whole story-for-the-Globe thing was supposed to be a front, but I wrote it up and put it with what you had given to me, and my mom's boss loved it."  
"You set us both up on a blind date. You cease to amaze me, Marie." I told her, shaking my head and tossing a fry at her. "Now our conversation that we had at the airport makes sense."  
She laughed, dodging out of the way.   
"It wasn't totally blind. You'd been watching him since October of 1998! It was totally blind on his part."  
"Oh, thanks." Jason mumbled.  
"I pulled Jason aside in the locker room that day while Chris was walking around with you and told him --" Adam started.  
"'I have a girl that I want you to meet. She's a fan, but I think that she'd be great for you. I scared the hell out of her a few minutes ago and she is very shy. She's out there walking around with C.J. right now and she has a poster of us that I just signed for her. Go sign it and make an impression on her.'" Jay cut in lightly, recalling that day. "So I did. Reluctantly, of course, because here I am thinking that Adam is trying to get me to go out with another money-hungry female in an attempt to get me to finally let go of what had happened with Kathrine. I took one look at Donna and I could barely get myself together enough to even talk. I knew it as soon as I saw her. Something told me to make a move, and I did that, too."  
"By kissing her hand. I was shocked. Mister-outgoing-in-front-of-the-camera-and-shy-off-screen was actually making a bold move on a girl he knew absolutely nothing about!" Chris exclaimed. "I was waiting for him to get smacked or something, but it never happened. Donna looked hypnotized."  
"I was. I loved it." I said. "I can't believe it was all a set up. It didn't seem that way. Maria, you are insane."  
"Isn't there a better word you could use?" Maria whined.  
"Crazy, nutty, maniacal, cuckoo, wacky, screwy, looney, silly, goofy..." Chris volunteered.  
"Never mind." Maria giggled.  
I rested my head on Jason's shoulder. I didn't mind that Maria had played matchmaker. All that mattered to me was that we were here and enjoying each other's company.

*********

Our last stop of the day turned out to be Spencer's. Amy and Mike were hitting it off very well, and Jay took to wandering about while I kept Diana with me near the front of the store. That didn't keep Maria away, though. She walked up to me with those damn dirty dice and whipped cream. I looked up at her.  
"Oh no. I'm not falling for that again." I told her.  
"These aren't for you to hold onto. I finally have somebody to use them on!" She said, then laughed wickedly as she strolled up to the checkout line.  
After a while, Jay walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.   
"I got something for us for later tonight." He whispered in my ear, his warm breath caressing my neck.  
"You did, did you?"  
"Yes." He whispered again, kissing the pressure point behind my earlobe. I smiled as chills traveled the length of my spine.  
"Okay, I'm looking forward to your surprise, but you know what you're doing to me right now, right?"  
"Yes." He whispered, doing it again.  
"Don't you want to save it for tonight?"  
"I wish I didn't have to."  
He was killing me. He was turning me on and we were right in the middle of a public place.  
"Me too." I replied softly. "Later. I promise."  
"Okay."  
Shortly before five, we all piled into the cars and drove to Incredible Ice, where my stepdad and the guys would be playing hockey. My stepdad had rented the ice for two hours, so Jay and I stepped into goal for a while.   
"Who bought the little one a Flyers jersey?" My dad asked as he skated up to me with the puck.  
"Jason did. She picked it out on her own."  
"Good girl! She knows who to cheer for!" He said, scoring a goal on me over my right shoulder.   
"Damn...." I cursed.  
After we finished our game, we went ice skating. Diana was being taught how to ice skate from Chris, who really did insist on teaching Matt as well. That, in turn, allowed Jason and I to skate around together.  
What song came on the moment we stepped out on the ice?  
'(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You'.  
Jay pulled me into the center of the rink, away from the other skaters. He looked me deeply in the eyes, then cupped my face in his hands.  
"I love you very much, angel. I wouldn't have it any other way."  
"I love you too."  
Then he leaned forward and kissed me passionately on the lips, and we could have cared less who was watching.

*********

Later that night, Diana stayed at Amy's house in order to give us some time completely alone. I got some clothes out while Jay was in the shower, then dodged in when he came out.  
I reflected on the day we met and the day after Charlie had grabbed my arm. The sight of Jay holding that rose was absolutely sweet. I thought about the night he saved me from Charlie in the parking lot and the night Kate appeared with Diana and Rick. My mind wandered to the custody battle, then the night of WrestleMania, when we had that argument. Then came Diana flipping out on us almost right after Brad went after Amy and I in the parking lot. I thought about the whole horrible night concerning Charlie and how I did in fact, save Diana's life. I thought about all of the positivity that came from that night, miraculously. I reflected on ice-skating, playing hockey, and visiting the mall and the zoo. Yes, we had been through a hell of a roller coaster ride in our first year together. If that wasn't a trial of faith, then I had no idea what was.  
I finally shut off the water and stepped out of the tub, then dried my body and got dressed. I walked out of the bathroom to a bedroom softly lit by candles. My jaw just dropped in shock. Sure, it wasn't glowing red in the room, but dammit, he remembered.  
"Welcome to your surprise, angel." He told me from the bed. I dared to look. If my jaw wasn't already on the floor, it was then. I struggled to compose myself. There he was, dressed in his former wrestling attire...white flared shirt, black pants, black leather boots, necklaces, sunglasses....the whole nine yards. I struggled to find my voice.  
"Huh?" I said when I finally found it.   
"Do you like it?" He asked. "This _is_ still a fantasy of yours, right?"  
"Yeah..." I whispered, finally able to find something else to say. "Wow..."  
He stood up and walked up to me. He was truly in the vampire spirit, right down to the fangs.   
"I'm not freaking you out, am I? I can fix everything, you know."  
"I'm well aware of that, but I don't want you to change one thing."  
He wrapped his arms around my waist slowly, then leaned forward, kissing me gently on the neck, nipping at my skin with the fangs that I was almost willing to bet that David had given to him. For some reason, I found it pleasurable and responded.   
"I never want to think about being without you." He whispered, his breath warm on my exposed neck as he slipped the strap of my nightgown off of my shoulder. He paused to blow out a couple of candles, darkening the room, but leaving the last one lit on the nightstand by the bed. "Say you'll surrender to me, my sweet angel."   
"Yes....I surrender to you." I moaned softly in return. I was loving this so much. I pulled him down to rest on top of me, wanting him, longing for his touch and needing his kisses. After a few minutes, he pulled something off of the nightstand that had gone undetected by me.  
Whipped cream.  
"You little devil!" I laughed lightly.  
"I didn't see any need for the dice, but what harm could it do? I'm sure we could get plenty 'dirty' with this." He told me as I reached up to remove his sunglasses to reveal the mischievous gleam in his eyes.  
"Oh I'm sure we could." I said softly as he nipped my neck again gently.   
"In that case...radio on, candles out." He said wickedly, turning on the radio and blowing out the candle, then laughing like the devil I always figured he could be. 

**********

Now when things in my dreams glow an eerie red, I've come to figure that something is going to go wrong.  
Not this time.  
I stood in the ring as Christian slid beneath the ropes and into the center of the ring. He then proceeded to sit there and look up at me from behind his dark sunglasses.  
"Good evening, Donna."  
"Hi." I replied.  
"You're healing well, m'lady. That means that you do not need me anymore."  
"How can I not need you anymore?"  
"You have proven that you can stand up for yourself and be free and also love without hesitation. There really is no more I can do for you. I have helped you through your weakest moments, but you are the strongest that you've ever been, and I'm proud of you."  
"Thank you for all of your help."  
He stood up, removing his sunglasses, and took me into his arms.  
"You're welcome, angel. I love you." He told me in a whisper close to my ear, his breath gentle on my neck. He then kissed my neck softly, biting it gently in a vampire-like manner, then let go of me and slid out of the ring. Then he disappeared up the ramp.  
"I love you too." I mumbled. I wouldn't have time to miss him, though.


	35. Christian's Guardian Angels

Surely you don't think that I'd end the story like that, do you? For shame! We have a whole 'nother story to go revolving around planning the wedding! That one is definitely one for the books, let me inform you! I will, however, leave you with the story Maria wrote about Jason and I and our first year together that she did for Globe that Vince insisted get picked up for WWF magazine. Of course, I had left out a major part of my past after the whole thing with Bradley that Jason felt offended that I told Maria for the article and didn't tell him, but I apologized and he understands. The story made the cover, too. It was Jason's first cover story, minus Adam! (Sorry, Adam!)

********  
Dated November, 2001

**CHRISTIAN'S GUARDIAN ANGELS**  
\--By Maria Donovan

Donna Andrews is a normal twenty-five-year-old. She enjoys playing hockey as well as watching the sport. She enjoys writing and drawing. She thrives on teaching children the important things in life such as respecting others and their property.  
Donna is also my best friend, and she has been through hell and back, and survived.  
Now she is in the WWF with the love of her life, Federation co-star Jason Reso, better known to his fans as "Christian." Both are on the road about 20 days out of every month, and somehow manage a regular routine for Reso's daughter Diana, 4.  
Things weren't always aligned so well. It has been a long, hard road for both Andrews and Reso on their way to stardom. This is the story of their first year together.

~~~~~~~~~~

Donna Michelle Andrews was born on July 12, 1976 in Jupiter, Florida to parents Michelle and Justin. She has one brother, Daniel, who is younger by five years.   
Donna is no stranger to violence in the home. Both she and Daniel often witnessed the horrors that went on between their parents. When Donna was eleven and Daniel was six, Justin took Michelle to court for custody of the children in a bitter battle. Michelle eventually came out the victor, but Justin wasn't done. He broke into the now single-parent-family's household two years later and threatened Michelle's life. Donna kept her brother upstairs with her during the heated argument and called the police, then watched them take her father to jail.  
Now thirteen, Donna grew up fairly fast, taking on the rough task of raising her brother by herself after her mother met her stepfather James and began to drink. Unable to tolerate the drinking, James left, but always kept the door open for his relationships with the children. Both still have strong bonds with James.   
Her interests in hockey, WWF and writing grew but she started dating and those dates usually ended up disastrous. She eventually met her first real boyfriend Michael, but because of her previous dating disasters, she sensed that he was getting too close. The two cut off the relationship part of it and remain close friends to this day. It was right after her breakup with Michael that her life took a turn for the worse.

~~~~~~~~~~

Her mother got into a viciously abusive relationship with a man named Josh. Her brother ran away to reside with friends. Donna herself met Bradley Richards. Bradley was Mr. Perfect and Mr. Gentleman for the first few weeks they were dating. That was, until he found her writing.  
"It all started with these little comments. 'You should have them do this,' or 'perhaps you should try this viewpoint, because when you write it that way, I really don't like it.'" Donna says. "At first it was little comments about my writing, then it became comments about my physical being, and then it became comments and insults, and it escalated from there."  
It escalated to the point where she was afraid to move, or even breathe. He would strike her with anything he could get his hands on. He tore up her stories and drawings and broke her collectibles. She had no one to turn to, at least in her own mind, and she was brainwashed into believing that it was all her fault.  
Then one Sunday, things changed.  
Bradley watched something she always used to hate because her father would watch it. He watched WWF. Brad didn't want her to watch it and usually she didn't care about it, but that one Sunday in late October of 1998, she saw somebody that she wouldn't soon forget.

~~~~~~~~~~

She spotted then-twenty-four-year-old Jason Reso, dressed as his alter ego "Christian," coming down to the ring. Knowing that Bradley was passed out, she sat down and watched his match out of curiosity. There was something about the "Christian" character that she instantly fell in love with. He was quiet and he dressed dark, which reflected the character's personality. She was drawn to him and could relate to the character somehow.   
She decided to pen a fantasy about the mysterious gothic figure but didn't get very far when Brad found it the following day and punished her for it.  
Later that night, she pretended to sleep on the couch as Brad began to watch RAW is WAR and threw empty beer bottles at her in a failed attempt to get her to wake up and leave the room. He eventually passed out and she watched Jason and his two fellow Brood members in their match with tears of pain in her eyes. Just as the match came to a close, Brad awoke and flew into a nightmarish rage, beating her for a seemingly endless amount of time before passing out for the night. Donna hid in a corner of the bedroom closet and sobbed herself to sleep. Nothing could have possibly prepared her for what happened next.

~~~~~~~~~~

Brad woke her up the next morning by kicking her in the side and striking her on the back, demanding that she get up in between calling her derogatory names. After she finally made it to her feet, he pushed her onto the bed and assaulted her.   
Unable to move to move due to the blinding pain, she could only knock the phone off of the hook and dial 9-1-1. Medics rushed in, but she refused to press charges. She never told anyone about the assault, nor the pregnancy that resulted. That pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage in the third month.   
In an effort to heal, she learned how to play ice hockey with her stepfather and watched WWF any time she could, along with penning her fantasies. These things kept her focus from straying to Bradley.   
Not long after that, she heard that her mother was moving up north with her new boyfriend Ryan. Now sparked with determination, Donna decided to follow suit. Not only that, but she figured that the change of scenery would help in the healing process. She tracked Daniel down and the duo moved up north. It wouldn't be for another year, but Donna's life was about to change forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

William Jason Reso was born on November 30, 1973 in Orangeville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has two brothers, one older, one younger.   
Convinced by his best friend Adam Copeland to get into wrestling, Jason applied for a student loan and put some of it toward the wrestling schooling. Once in the minors and wrestling with Copeland, Jason met up with Kathrine Mitchell. Miss Mitchell is the daughter of wealthy businessman Trent Mitchell and his wife Anne, of Atlanta, Georgia and was brought into the sports entertainment business by her cousin Jasmine. The two began dating and entered a serious relationship.  
Nobody realized exactly how nightmarish the relationship had become after approximately three months’ time. It mirrored Donna's relationship with Brad, only it was a reversed situation, and while it didn't end like Donna's, it was still emotionally damaging. To this day, he still hesitates to talk about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason walked in the front door of his apartment, juggling flowers, champagne and an engagement ring. It was a day like any other and he was glad to be home. He had everything mapped out perfectly. He called down the hallway to the bedroom that they shared. When he didn't get a response, he walked down the hallway, opened the door and found a devastating sight: his girlfriend was in bed with a close friend of his from the same federation. Richard Blake.   
Angered by this, Jason fought physically with Blake, who pushed him into Mitchell, whose leg got cut severely by a glass coffee table. Out of guilt, he went broke and paid for Mitchell's therapy, although the accident wasn't his fault. Payments got higher and higher and only time would tell the mystified young man from Ontario exactly why.

~~~~~~~~~~

In August of 1998, Jason debuted in the WWF. It wouldn't be until mid-October that he'd team up with longtime friend Adam Copeland and co-worker David Heath to form the gothic trio known as the Brood.   
Jason thoroughly embraced the character, and although it wasn't entirely like him, he found the quiet part of the character to be a peaceful change. He didn't want to talk too much because then he'd end up opening up his heart to the wrong person. He simply wanted to keep to himself, and quiet, gothic Christian was the perfect front.  
That was, until he met Michael Foley's children who, at the time, were seven and six. Noelle developed a slight fangirl crush on him like some kids tend to do and kept him from closing up to the world entirely. He couldn't fully switch his feelings off with her constantly checking on him and giving him hugs.   
He longed to have children of his own with a special lady someday, but every girl he came across since Kate just wanted to use him, so he closed up to everybody instead.   
"If they wanted to use somebody, they'd have to look to somebody else. I was burnt out." Jason recalls.  
In July of 1999, Jason's lone sense of security was taken when the Federation brought in a new team of high-flyers named Matt and Jeff Hardy. In order to get the brothers from Cameron, North Carolina over with the fans, they decided to break Edge and Christian away from Gangrel and push them into the tag team division. This push called for the two Canadians to talk. While Copeland ate up the spotlight and the mic time, Reso remained quiet and reserved.  
This lasted until November of 2000, when Donna traveled to Florida for a visit.   
I arranged to interview the stars for my mother's publication and requested that Donna come along. She met Jason behind the scenes that day and the two hit it off immediately. After the show, they retreated to a hotel to talk and get to know each other.

~~~~~~~~~~

The vacation went well, and the two decided to try the long-distance-relationship thing. No sooner did Donna return home than trouble followed her. A coworker by the name of Charlie Andersen began asking her some extremely private questions. He cornered her in the back room of their workplace and proceeded to grab her arm viciously, demanding answers.   
What saved her was the fact that Reso had called to check up on her.   
Flustered and shaken, she told him what had happened. Although he insisted upon traveling up there, she declined.   
He showed up the following day, rose in hand and friend Matt Hardy by his side.  
"He told me, 'If it's one thing that I don't do well, it's listen to voices of reason when someone I care about is in trouble.'" Donna says. "I'll never forget it."  
Charlie's actions eventually landed him with no job.  
About one month later, Donna decided to go out for a drive late on the night that Jason was due home from the road. Unbeknownst to her, Charlie had stalked her and was waiting to catch her at the perfect time, which came when she came out of a store.  
She fought valiantly, the attack still resulting in a bump to the head, a few bruised ribs and some scratches.  
But before any more damage could be done, Jason arrived and pulled Charlie out of the car and executed a maneuver called a DDT that isn't safe for a non-professional to have done on them, especially outside of the ring in an icy parking lot.  
"I couldn't think of anything else. That was the first thing that came to mind. All that mattered to me was that Donna’s safety." Jason says.  
It was that incident that made them realize that this wasn't just ‘puppy love,’ but things were about to go from bad to worse, only highlighted by a few things along the way.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kathrine Mitchell walked through the back doors to Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on December 13, 2000 with nothing but Rick at her side, a young daughter in tow and hatred for her ex-boyfriend in her heart.  
As she proceeded to tear Jason's pride into shreds, Jason was working on getting the person who hated her the most onto the roster: Donna.  
Through hard work and training with Amy Dumas and the owner's daughter, Stephanie, she managed to cement a spot, provided that she keep up wanting to be taught, as Reso's valet after a split between the five-time tag champs.   
That night after the pay-per-view, Donna found out that Diana was Reso's daughter.  
Upon finding this out, Jason confronted his ex, then proceeded to engage in a custody battle, easily won by Reso, which proved Mitchell not only unfit, but unstable as well.  
There was little time for celebration, as there would be a slight lull in events before going from worse to rock bottom.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bradley decided to pop up when Donna least expected him: when things were beginning to get back to normal. To top it off, he was hitting on her closest confidante if the Federation: Amy Dumas. Both ladies, Matt Hardy and Jason all proceeded to put Brad in his place after making insulting comments to Donna and making a move to strike Amy.   
All was fine until he decided to sneak up on Amy and Donna in the rear parking lot after the show.   
"I wouldn't let him hurt her. He had already done the damage to me. It was time for some payback and for me to stand up to him." Donna says. She did the first thing that came to mind, which was shove Brad to the ground. He got back up immediately and pinned her to a nearby vehicle by her throat.  
"I'm a lethal force. At least I see it that way. If you don't make me angry, I have no reason to be mean. But if you piss me off, you will pay the consequences." Amy says angrily, then smiles proudly. "And he did." She didn't hesitate to pull off a hurricanrana on Bradley, sending him flying, but it did a number on Amy as well. "I was mad, and I wasn't thinking straight. I landed wrong. I just wanted him laid out, but I ended up on the injured list with some serious road rash on my back." She recalls, "but it was well worth it."  
Donna had no idea, but that was a walk in the park compared to the challenge that she'd face not even a week later having to do with a relatively new employee of the Joe Louis Arena.

~~~~~~~~~~

Diana's favorite toy disappeared from the car after the house show. Insecure without it because it was her first true gift from her father, she carried on until Amy volunteered to drive her and Donna back to the arena. Amy stayed in the car as Donna and Diana went inside. Donna was about to give up hope of finding the doll when they found it in the last room they walked into.  
They were ready to leave when the door shut and locked behind them. Donna turned around to face her worst nightmare: Charlie.  
He demanded that she put the kid down and she begged for him to just let them go. She tried to get him to talk, but he would have nothing to do with it.   
He pushed her onto the couch and she struggled to get free until he pulled a gun on her.   
"I stopped...but looking back selfishly, if he had followed through, I would have rather he shot me." Donna mumbles, tears falling down her cheeks. "I know Diana was there, and it hurts to be so selfish, but I wouldn't have been able to handle it a second time. I barely made it through the first and I was all alone on that one." Sobs choke those words as she says them, but then she struggles to speak again. "Thank God neither thing did happen, though. I know what Diana was feeling, though, and I know that she had to have turned around at some point to see that gun pointed at me. I know she did because she's had nightmares about it on several occasions."   
Upon sight of that gun, all the fight left her, and she would have allowed him to get it over with, but she silently prayed for an angel to hear her.   
That angel unexpectedly arrived in the form of Paul "Triple-H" Levesque, who had come back to retrieve an item that he had left behind earlier that evening.  
"I stopped in front of the door because I heard a radio and some whimpering. I didn't like that combination of sounds. It didn't sit well with me, so I listened a little more and decided to rattle the doorknob." He recalls.  
"I heard his voice and something inside me demanded that I settle down. Not one rational thought was going through my mind, though. My life and Diana's were still very much in danger. Trip kept asking me if I was alright, if I could get out because the door was locked...all of these questions that were just a way of keeping me talking, I suppose. I used his stage name because if I had outright told him that Charlie had a gun, I don't think that I'd be here." Donna replies.   
What happened next would bond them forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I figured from the way that she was screaming 'Hunter,’ that there was something for me to be weary of." He figured this because it was customary for Donna to call him 'Trip' instead of 'Hunter' after the cameras stopped rolling.   
"When they started to bust the door in, Charlie sat up, and I got off of the couch, pulled Diana to me and laid on the floor, shielding her with my entire body."  
She saw him sit back but paid no attention to where the gun was pointed.   
Right at Diana's head.  
As the door opened, he fired all five bullets, striking Donna in the shoulder, before being gunned down by a security guard who had recognized Donna and Amy only a short hour before.  
Donna's quick reaction enabled her to save Diana's life, as the bullet would have killed the four-year-old, had Donna not dodged in front of it.

~~~~~~~~~~

So, what's next for Reso and Andrews as they embark on year number two of their well-founded relationship? Will we see a wedding between the fans' favorite duo? Who has their sights set on championship gold? Or will it be gold rings those sights are set on? How about a family or just a simple, peaceful year?  
Only time will tell, but that's another story.

**Author's Note:**

> First, handwritten Draft of Christian's Promise was completed at 1:00 AM on December 19, 2000.
> 
> (I used to write my stories longhand... I still would, but it's kind of a pain ;) )


End file.
